Shipping to Amazon Prime starts with a drone

Amazon has announced that it will start delivering packages at the end of the year.

Tech giants that deliver products to the air without the use of controllers have revealed Lockeford, California as a testbed.

Instead of throwing something at the front door, the drone jumps into the customer’s backyard, stops, slowly drops the package to the ground, and then flies back up.

Only available for Prime users and obviously only for small packages.

According to Amazon, the drone has a “detection and avoidance system” that protects it from hitting stationary or moving objects during delivery.

Amazon will adjust course if the plane identifies and avoids obstacles and ensures the surroundings are clear when it arrives at the customer’s home.

According to the company, it has produced 20 prototype aircraft since it established the Prime Air division in 2013. The Federal Aviation Administration has allowed drones to begin flying as early as 2020.

Amazon aims to fly drones up to 15 miles (24 km) in 30 minutes and deliver packages weighing less than 5 pounds (2.3 kg).

The delivery date for the UK-based planes has yet to be set, but Amazon will almost certainly introduce Prime Air to Brighty. Successfully tested an earlier drone model in Cambridge in 2016 and delivered in 13 minutes.

And Amazon isn’t the only one looking for a more efficient delivery system.

Royal Mail has announced plans to increase the use of aircraft for delivery by creating 50 new “postal airline routes”.

The UK Post has announced that it plans to use up to 200 drones over the next three years and will serve the whole of the UK.

The first routes of the new service will include the Silesian Islands, the Shetland Islands, the Orkney Islands and hybrids.

Simon Thompson, CEO of Royal Mail, said:

We go everywhere, but Royal Mail already has the lowest CO2 emissions from delivered parcels. “This initiative will help further reduce emissions,” he added.