They have. in the UK. They plan to do it in America soon. Can you imagine a flying warehouse like they are talking about? I look forward to seeing that.
I can only speak about the United States ... the laws of other countries are different ... and the laws here are in flux ... just because Amazon can't do this today doesn't mean they won't be able to in the future ... there are important questions about public safety ...
In the US, drone pilots are required to maintain visual contact with their drone ... they must always watch it ... so the video above with the drone carting a vaccine 3 km to the hospital isn't going to happen here right now ... this is much like the requirement that there be a pilot at the controls of regular airplanes ... I understand that might not be a requirement in the UK, but it is here in the USA ...
We have 20 kg flying 100 m up ... motors quit ... that'll kill someone ... thus, it is illegal to fly a drone over people in the USA ... the FAA has been reviewing YouTube videos and issuing fines if they see someone not following this law ... those cute overhead shots of beaches full of people ... yeah, fines issued ...
Yeah ... the first time an Amazon drone quits in flight and wipes out some children ... that's terrible publicity, plus the wrongful death lawsuits ... I have no idea who would underwrite these types of operations or what manner of insurance pool could be created ...
Autonomus vehicles are a work in progress ... not quite a reality yet ... someday, perhaps soon, we'll start seeing these driverless cars ... but pilotless airplanes is still some distance in the future ... we have to adjust our society to get comfortable with this technology ... too many folks like me who will crash into these driverless vehicles for no other reason that there's no driver ... there's been some studies, it's not the driverless vehicles so much as everyone else freaking out driving next to them ... doing 100 km/hr down the freeway and see a damn dog driving the car next to you ... well ... that's something we all need to get used to ...
Would you board an airplane without a cockpit? ...
