Amazon Prime Air

Killer Wench

This is simultaneously awesome and scary.

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

kneemos

Bit Blade Runner.Cool idea though.

entropi

The precursor to Planet Express.


I can really see this idea taking off.

kowloon

Might buy a washing machine.

shruikan2553

I can see a large dog just attacking it as it lands.

Cant imagine it would be cheap either.

BetterThanThou

Truly incredible concept, can't see it being viable for quite a while, but a very cool concept anyway. I feel the packages are going to need some kind of system which makes them only receivable by the person who made the order, these drones could and probably will be somewhat faulty at first, and even if it's not the drones, GPS can be quite inaccurate at times and this would require pin point accuracy, though, they may use another type of navigation. And I can see the drones costing a lot of money and using a fair bit of power, making delivery costs huge if you want to use this service. The page says they'd like to have it launched some time in 2015, this is something I'd bet money on will not happen, and if by some miracle it does, it'll be in very few places and likely be pulled out of service not soon after. But don't get me wrong, I'd say this is definitely something that I think could happen by around 2020. And this is definitely a future I look forward to, I absolutely love when I order something and it comes the next day, if I could order something and have it within an hour it would be incredible!

SweepTheLeg

I can see a lot of people stealing them.

IvaBigWun

I think they're more like 2024 than 2015 in reality, but still; wow!

I love the future

SimonQuinlank

Ad desperately needs that Flight of the Valkyries song in it.

Ruu

Won't happen in the short term but good on them for moving forward.

Mezcita

Ruubot2 wrote: »

Won't happen in the short term but good on them for moving forward.

"Q: When will I be able to choose Prime Air as a delivery option?
A: We hope the FAA's rules will be in place as early as sometime in 2015. We will be ready at that time."

BillyMitchel

This is mental!!

Imagine the scummers around Dublin and the like standing with a bag of stones trying to knock them out of the air!

Amazon Amazing invention.

Sorry

The Diabolical Monocle

Is it just me thats starting to feel like Brooks from Shawshank redemption.

World went and got itself in a real hurry.









Monocle was here

smellslikeshoes

This is just cheap publicity, won't happen.

SimonQuinlank

Some book shop in Sydney is doing this already apparently,no strict FAA regulations like in the states.

diomed

A large delivery of shenanigans please.

Killer Wench

I used to work for Amazon corporate based here in Seattle. Things like this don't get announced unless they are damn sure it will happen. He was on 60 minutes discussing it tonight, but I was watching The Walking Dead (chil', don't get me started).

It's awesome and all but it's not like it's all that hard. Hardware is already available, it's just the code and conforming the laws and rules once they're in place that needs to be done.

Kiith

I'd just order a pencil and then steal the UAV.

Foxhound38

Great concept, would never work here though. Too many anti-social scumbags who would love nothing more than a moving target to throw stones at, especially if it's carrying something belonging to someone else that they could rob if they got it down...

Presumably these contraptions wouldn't be the cheapest - they would be an absolute magnet for anti-social behaviour.

This is why we can't have nice things/book drones...

Killer Wench

Seriously, y'all are worried about anti-social folk who will toss rocks? I live in the US where people have guns and hand grenades. You know the first ones will be shot down because some dude thought it was a terrorist attack.

If we can do it, so can you.

Vincent Vega

Hmm.
Pretty amazing advance in technology coming out of nowhere.

I personally don't mind waiting for stuff I order from Amazon.
I find it's nice to have something to look forward to, and the not know exactly when it will arrive creates a sort of surprise element.
If everything was just a half an hour away.... how cynical i would become.

On the other hand, when the pizza places adopt this I may be interested as it could put an end to my tipping hang ups for good.
Unless it were to have some sort of built in 'slowly shuffle coins around for a bit to find the correct change' function to see if you'd give in

Ruu

Mezcita wrote: »

"Q: When will I be able to choose Prime Air as a delivery option?
A: We hope the FAA's rules will be in place as early as sometime in 2015. We will be ready at that time."

We'll see, egg and your face, will be in alignment!

BillyMitchel

It is pretty good alright.

You checkout your new gimp mask and it say P+P €4.99 or get it within half an hour delivered to you door by a mini plane for €100.

Would it really be affordable at the beginning. Doubt it. This would cost money and lots of it. I'm sure the plan won't be made from Lego! How many of these things would they need to build.

Killer Wench

It is Amazon Prime Air, so I am assuming that you will have to have a Prime membership in order to take advantage of it. Prime will likely have several different tiers of membership.

LordSutch

kowloon wrote: »

Might buy a washing machine.

Reminds me of that AVIOS advert on the TV, where anything can fly!

clairefontaine

I just ordered something from amazon yesterday and it gave me a delivery date of Dec 12. I've never had a 12 day estimated delivery time from them before. I figure as more people get prime, those will get priority which will push back the dates of free delivery further and further.

I bet prime air will cost around 1k a year.

NIMAN

Will never happen, but its good advertising for Amazon, I'm sure this will be viral now.

bigron2109

Better hope the picker finds your item before the 14 seconds runs out or you wouldn't get it in the half a hour.

Foxhound38

Foxhound38 wrote: »

Great concept, would never work here though. Too many anti-social scumbags who would love nothing more than a moving target to throw stones at, especially if it's carrying something belonging to someone else that they could rob if they got it down...

Presumably these contraptions wouldn't be the cheapest - they would be an absolute magnet for anti-social behaviour.

This is why we can't have nice things/book drones...

Yep. Definitely the only country with anti social scumbags. Yep. Definitely.

Sunnyisland

Bye bye postman :-(

clairefontaine

Is regular prime available in Ireland yet?

Seaneh

Anyone who thinks this will actually happen by 2015 is an idiot.

Canis Lupus

Whatever about the technology to airlift small packages I can't see how an unmanned robot would successfully navigate to a persons door with all the obstacles in place in everyday life never mind taking weather conditions into account. I don't see it as viable in either a business or technological sense.

Killer Wench

Killer Wench wrote: »

Seriously, y'all are worried about anti-social folk who will toss rocks? I live in the US where people have guns and hand grenades. You know the first ones will be shot down because some dude thought it was a terrorist attack.

If we can do it, so can you.

I would imagine that they'll only fly to "select" locations, like a local corporate head office or high tech business parks.

I just can't see one going to a sink estate in Limerick, it would never make it back!
edit: unless it has a US army one as cover.

up for anything

The stuff of nightmares!

The sky would be full of the damn yokes - like wasps at the end of summer. There would have to be some noise pollution from them and then there'd be the company who for an extra charge would have them deliver a nail bomb right to your head/feet.

jester77

I was already impressed with being able to order stuff before going to bed and having it delivered in time for breakfast the next morning, but this is awesome.

I remember seeing another company in California a year or 2 ago wanting to do the same with pizza delivery but they would have needed FAA approval which didn't happen. Amazon might just be big enough to pull that off.

danniemcq

awww I thought it was gonna be someone selling jars of air and had Spaceballs quotes ready to go.

Just heard on the news that they can deliver within a 10 mile radius or the warehouse. This could be an issue as their warehouses are so big that they might be a bit far out of town to deliver to a lot of people but its a great step forward.

Sunnyisland

With the bee population becoming extinct,this will bring a new buzz to the air...

General General

THIS is how I found out that they weren't going with my rocket proposal.

Akrasia

Foxhound38 wrote: »

Great concept, would never work here though. Too many anti-social scumbags who would love nothing more than a moving target to throw stones at, especially if it's carrying something belonging to someone else that they could rob if they got it down...

Presumably these contraptions wouldn't be the cheapest - they would be an absolute magnet for anti-social behaviour.

This is why we can't have nice things/book drones...

Amazon will have to give the UAVs the ability to defend themselves

Win-Win

It's a very cool idea, but I'm not sure if I want play Half Life 2 for real

Those little flying bastids were a real pain in the ass

Plazaman

I see some problems :-

I live in Apartment 4b on the 8th floor of a 12 storey high rise. Deliver that.

Nanny Mc Granny, 87, is pushing her 1 year old granddaughter down the street when an Amazon Octocopter goes rogue, falls out of the sky and buries itself into Nanny. Thankfully the book it was delivering had it's fall broken by the soft head of Baby Mc Granny.

danniemcq

Plazaman wrote: »

I see some problems :-

I live in Apartment 4b on the 8th floor of a 12 storey high rise. Deliver that.

Nanny Mc Granny, 87, is pushing her 1 year old granddaughter down the street when an Amazon Octocopter goes rogue, falls out of the sky and buries itself into Nanny. Thankfully the book it was delivering had it's fall broken by the soft head of Baby Mc Granny.

And to top it all off the book was michael crichtons "prey"

keithclancy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSp7CipN1pw

Would totally work in Russia

Canis Lupus

I want my stuff delivered by big dog.... I want an ontime delivery and be terrified at the same time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNZPRsrwumQ

Dyr

obviously amazon have never heard of a black widow gat

meoklmrk91

Canis Lupus wrote: »

I want my stuff delivered by big dog.... I want an ontime delivery and be terrified at the same time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNZPRsrwumQ

That thing is really cool but Jesus it has the creepiest legs ever.

I like the idea of amazon drones, amazon is my favourite company by far, they have everything, really decent prices and exceptional customer service. Also I like the idea of my crap being delivered really fast, I can see them offering this at no extra cost other than a prime membership, it would be perfect for impulse buys.

robinph

Amazon have got their months wrong, this "service" is clearly a spoof video and they have released it 5 months early.

Check back on 1st April.

BillyMitchel

Wonder if there is any jobs going to fly the plane or would it just be stick in a number ?

Flying toy planes all day, serious craic.

Tzardine

BillyMitchel wrote: »

Wonder if there is any jobs going to fly the plane or would it just be stick in a number ?

Flying toy planes all day, serious craic.

All automated I presume.

I was lucky enough to see the Boeing Scan Eagle system in use in Iraq. What the automation can do is unreal. And that was nearly 5 years ago.

Holsten

Scary? Why?

It's awesome! Super speed deliveries, hell yes!