Amazon promised with its yet-to-be-launched service Prime Air to deliver orders within half an hour by drone. But that plan does not seem to be going through, as delivery drones are not allowed to fly out of the driver's sight for now. And that shoots the etailer the wrong way.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) previously put forward a new proposal for
regulations concerning drones. It could take another two years before these rules
are implemented, and even then, Prime Air would not be able to
. This is strange, as the FAA has in fact revised the regulations precisely because of the
growing interest in drones from businesses and consumers.
Remote-controlled
Amazon
began developing a delivery drone a year ago. The retailer
hopes that, in future, the delivery drone will be ‘just as commonplace as a delivery van
on the road’. The drone is
controlled from the office and can drop parcels on the doormat of
consumers.
Cameras and software must ensure safety
It is precisely these two features
are precisely why the drones are not allowed to take off. This is because the drone must always remain within the operator’s line of sight and no objects may fall from
. Furthermore, the drone must maintain a certain speed,
which often means the promised half-hour delivery cannot be met.
CEO Jeff Bezos calls the rules nonsense. “It’s not as if the drone is just going to
a passer-by’s head.” Modern
security systems would render a large proportion of the rules unnecessary. Thanks to
high-quality cameras and software, accidents can be prevented.
Developments outside the US
The e-retailer
believes that the strict FAA rules will mean that the development of
drone technology will take place outside the US. Amazon is currently testing
the drones near Cambridge in the UK. It remains
remains to be seen what steps Amazon will take to roll out Prime Air in
the US.
Editorial LogistiekProfs
