Moves Closer To Its Goal Of A Drone Delivery Solution That Scales To Meet The Needs Of Customers

At Amazon’s re:MARS Conference (Machine Learning, Automation, Robotics and Space) in Las Vegas, last week, the company unveiled its latest Prime Air drone design. The fully electric drones are designed to fly up to 15 miles and deliver packages under five pounds to customers in less than 30 minutes. And, with the help of Amazon's fulfillment and delivery network, the company expects to scale Prime Air both quickly and efficiently, delivering packages via drone to customers within months.

This latest drone design includes advances in efficiency, stability and, most importantly, in safety. It is a hybrid design, meaning it can do vertical takeoffs and landings like a helicopter and is efficient and aerodynamic like an airplane. It also easily transitions between these two modes.

It’s fully shrouded for safety. The shrouds are also the wings, which makes it efficient in flight.

The distinctive aircraft is controlled with six degrees of freedom, as opposed to the standard four. This makes it more stable, and capable of operating safely in more gusty wind conditions.

Amazon says the drone is independently safe, using the latest artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Delivery drones need to be able to identify static and moving objects coming from any direction. The Amazon drone employs diverse sensors and advanced algorithms, such as multi-view stereo vision, to detect static objects like a chimney. To detect moving objects, like a paraglider or helicopter, proprietary computer-vision and machine learning algorithms are used.

For the drone to descend for delivery, a small area around the delivery location that is clear of people, animals, or obstacles is needed. The LZ is identified using explainable stereo vision in parallel with sophisticated AI algorithms trained to detect people and animals from above.

A customer’s yard may have clotheslines, telephone wires, or electrical wires. Wire detection is one of the hardest challenges for low-altitude flights. Through the use of computer-vision techniques invented by Amazon, its drones can recognize and avoid wires as they descend into, and ascend out of, a customer’s yard.

Amazon says Prime Air is one of many sustainability initiatives to help achieve Shipment Zero, the company’s vision to make all Amazon shipments net zero carbon, with 50% of all shipments net zero by 2030.

(Image provided by Amazon)

FMI: blog.aboutamazon.com/transportation/a-drone-program-taking-flight