Amazon unveiled a prototype drone yesterday that could one day deliver packages to online shoppers' doorsteps just minutes after they press the "buy" button.
The new drone, or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), was created for Prime Air, a same-day delivery service that Amazon first announced in 2013. In the new YouTube video yesterday (Nov. 29) describing this futuristic service, the company said that its small drones (they weigh just 55 pounds, or 25 kilograms) could deliver packages in 30 minutes or less. However, you won't be able to get that new bowling ball shipped to you via Prime Air; the drones can only deliver packages weighing 5 lbs. (2.3 kg) or less.
Embedded with "sense-and-avoid" technology, the highly autonomous UAVs can safely fly beyond an operator's line of sight, according to Amazon, which also stated that the delivery vehicles can carry packages to customers within a 10-mile (16 kilometers) radius of an Amazon warehouse.
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