Jeff Bezos Says Implementation At Least Three Years Away

If all goes according to his plan, Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos says that in three or four years, merchandise ordered from the online retail giant may be delivered by a fleet of UAVs.

Appearing on a segment of the CBS news magazine 60 Minutes Sunday, Bezos played a demo video of an octocopter UAV picking up a small package that had been placed in a yellow bucket at a distribution center and flying it to a pre-determined destination. Bezos said that the goal would be to have merchandise in a buyer's hands within 30 minutes of an online purchase, according to a report appearing in USA Today.

The delivery service company is called "Prime Air," according to Bezos. He said that it will take time for the development of the aircraft and other technology to make the system work. And it all hinges on the FAA finalizing rules for the use of UAVs in the national airspace.

Analysts say that the plan could be a threat to such shipping companies as FedEx and UPS, which carry much of Amazon's merchandise today.

On its website, Amazon.com said that one day the aircraft will be "as normal as seeing mail trucks on the road today. Safety will be our top priority, and our vehicles will be built with multiple redundancies and designed to commercial aviation standards."

(Image from Amazon.com YouTube video)

FMI: http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=8037720011