Amazon becomes first UK retailer to begin drone deliveries
Amazon has become the first retailer in the UK to introduce a local drone-based delivery service, launching some deliveries to addresses within a 4.5-mile radius of its warehouse in Darlington, County Durham.
MK30 drones, which Amazon describes as “the most advanced yet”, are buzzing through the countryside to deliver packages weighing no more than 2.2kg and containing a range of domestic products, including batteries, household cleaning supplies, cables and beauty products.
Prime Air said its distribution system can “quickly get products into customers’ hands in less than two hours,” a service they believe is in significant demand, and aims to expand nationwide.
Allowing the company to test the technology, a farmer in County Durham ordered some rubber gloves to demonstrate the delivery to journalists.
“Initially it was a novelty, so we were ordering everything under the sun,” Rob Shield said. he told the BBC. “Pens, paper, chocolates—anything to keep him coming.”
Orders arrive in boxes dropped into the yard from a height of 12 feet (3.6 m), making it impossible to pick up anything breakable.
After the first deliveries, Mr Shield said he was getting used to the rapid arrival of goods. “Obviously, you start to realize, ‘Actually, I need something today,’ like tape measure and stuff like that, you lose it all the time — we just order it and it comes,” he said.
Amazon says the large MK30 drone used for deliveries is “as quiet as an average van delivery,” but a local resident reportedly described the idea of drone deliveries as “crazy as fruitcake.”
Expanding Amazon’s drone service further afield could be a headache, experts said. While the NHS is running drone trials to distribute blood in London and the Royal Mail is already using them to send parcels to remote islands in Orkney, many special conditions need to be in place.
For example, customers must have a garden to qualify for drone delivery, and this does not include rooftop gardens. In February, an Amazon delivery drone crashed into an apartment building in Dallas and crashed to the ground. As a result, the company stopped delivery to certain building types.
Professor James Scanlan, an aviation and drone technology expert from the University of Southampton, said: Independent Expanding the service means Amazon will have to overcome some remaining issues.
“I think there are some situations where drone deliveries might make sense, such as remote islands. [and] rural communities,” he said. “But current drone technology is likely inadequate to cope with weather conditions. Especially wind and turbulence.”
He said: “Drones are noisy. I would not want routine drone flights over my property. The solution to the noise problem is to fly higher, but drones then pose a danger to crewed planes and helicopters. This is another unresolved problem.”
Amazon said: “Safety is Amazon’s top priority and Prime Air systems are built with multiple safety features. The MK30 has received Civil Aviation Authority approval to conduct operations.”
“As the MK30 descends for delivery, onboard systems detect and steer clear of obstacles such as clotheslines or trampolines that may not be visible on satellite maps. The same cameras continuously monitor the surrounding airspace during flight to determine whether evasive action is necessary to prevent other aircraft from entering the drone’s flight path. The detection technology is based on advanced machine learning models trained to recognize a variety of objects, including people, animals, physical barriers, and other airborne vehicles.”
