Look, Up in the Sky! It’s a Can of Soup!
news.yahoo.com
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Exactly a decade ago, Amazon revealed a program that aimed to revolutionize shopping and shipping. Drones launched from a central hub would waft through the skies delivering just about everything anyone could need. They would be fast, innovative, ubiquitous — all the Amazon hallmarks. The buzzy announcement, made by Jeff Bezos on “60 Minutes” as part of a Cyber Monday promotional package, drew global attention. “I know this looks like science fiction. It’s not,” said Bez

Only one item can be delivered at a time. It can’t weigh more than 5 pounds. It can’t be too big. It can’t be something breakable, since the drone drops it from 12 feet. The drones can’t fly when it is too hot or too windy or too rainy.

You need to be home to put out the landing target and to make sure that a porch pirate doesn’t make off with your item or that it doesn’t roll into the street (which happened once to Lord and Silverman). But your car can’t be in the driveway. Letting the drone land in the backyard would avoid some of these problems, but not if there are trees.

Amazon has also warned customers that drone delivery is unavailable during periods of high demand for drone delivery.

  • andrew_bidlaw@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    63·
    1 year ago

    It can be efficient, but the major pro-land point is: what would it do having 0 fuel?

    A car would stop, a drone would drop.

    It’s an exception and no one would pilot a drone to it’s exhaustion, but either way holding it in the air is a costy investment.

    • El Barto@lemmy.worldEnglish
      32·
      1 year ago

      How do robo-taxis or electric bikes for rent deal with the fuel problem? It’s an already solved issue.

      However, you do have a point with malfunctions.

        • El Barto@lemmy.worldEnglish
          31·
          1 year ago

          Understood, but then robotaxis have run over people without the need of flying.

      • andrew_bidlaw@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        3·
        1 year ago

        E-bikes and e-scooters are better, but I haven’t personally seen an infrastructure to use them unless they are personally owned and recharged at home. Are there stations for them in the US?

        Robo-taxis though are their own can of worms. Discussion about their capabilities can take days.

        • El Barto@lemmy.worldEnglish
          11·
          1 year ago

          I’m not sure how it works in the U.S., but in Europe there are stations in which users are encouraged to go to and grab a recharged battery (for a discount.) I’m guessing they have employees who do this as well…

        • El Barto@lemmy.worldEnglish
          31·
          1 year ago

          The first thing you mentioned has nothing to do with fuel, which was OP’s original argument.

          As for the second thing, I’ve already said I agreed with OP.

            • El Barto@lemmy.worldEnglish
              1·
              1 year ago

              I’m okay with being wrong. Check my comment history if you’d like in which I happily admit I’m being corrected.

              But you didn’t say “depleted” or “out of fuel.” You said “broken.” And that’s different.

              Can you admit that you misspoke, then?