Opinions on Amazon's new 'AmazonAir' concept and the drone. - General

[quote] 1) The drones can only deliver one package at a time before having to return to base and pick up a new package? A delivery van can transport hundreds at once. 2) A delivery drone will not be able to operate safely in windy/rainy weather - a delivery van can. 3) People could easily capture/shoot down delivery drones and steal the packages, especially if the drones do not record and transmit live footage. 4) Cats, dogs and birds will likely interfere with the drones, going as far as destroying them when they land in peoples yards. 5) Big privacy concerns - If the drones have cameras that record footage (which will definitely be needed to minimize the other problems listed), then people are going to be pissed when buzzing drones fly over their homes videotaping their kids in their paddling pools. 6) Many technical problems with drones - they have a high crash rate, and their proximity sensors are generally not sensitive enough to see thin branches and power lines in time to avoid them. 7) Drones can be easily hijacked by spoofing signals[1] , using fairly cheap equipment. A hacker could easily take control of a drone, and use it for malicious purposes, including terrorism. - (anonymous Pipe-bomb delivery system anyone?) 8) Without a human delivering the actual object, or footage of it happening, people will simply claim they never received the package, screwing Amazon out of money. 9) Americans who are concerned about the constant erosion of civil liberties, and being spied on will justifiably shoot down and destroy drones that enter their airspace. 10) A single drone currently costs more to produce and maintain than a delivery van - at least for the foreseeable future. Taking into account drone losses from causes listed previously, it is obvious that with the current technology, large scale delivery drone systems would be a huge financial disaster.[/quote]

[QUOTE=GamerChick;43097284] I wouldn't steal the stuff though, I would shoot it just for the fun of it. :v:[/QUOTE] You'd still be an asshole for wrecking someone elses property/screwing with delivery times

[QUOTE=TheSenDest;43109332]I still don't understand.[/QUOTE] flats mean apartments.

[QUOTE=Elfy;43111107]flats mean apartments.[/QUOTE] Thank you for explaining...

I won't particularly care. They're not going to have an Amazon delivery warehouse anywhere near where I live, although if they did - it'd be an awesome thing to have available.

[QUOTE=GamerChick;43097284]Seems like a big shotgun target. You could shoot it at an angle where the camera wouldn't see you.... or shoot it from afar... I wouldn't steal the stuff though, I would shoot it just for the fun of it. :v:[/QUOTE] You're the reason we need gun control. Because idiots like you don't know how fucking dangerous it is to shoot into the air or anywhere without an appropriate backdrop. For the sake of all of us responsible firearm owners in this country, you either need to take a firearm safety class or get rid of your firearms.

I as a customer probably would be more comfortable receiving conventionally until they've been around for a while.

[QUOTE=Venezuelan;43127812]I as a customer probably would be more comfortable receiving conventionally until they've been around for a while.[/QUOTE] Yeah I wouldn't be an early adopter, let's make sure it doesn't fall over on someone's house, but after 6 months or so I'd definitely use it.

[QUOTE=Dr. Flame;43127857]Yeah I wouldn't be an early adopter, let's make sure it doesn't fall over on someone's house, but after 6 months or so I'd definitely use it.[/QUOTE] I third that statement.

[QUOTE=TheSenDest;43113045]Thank you for explaining...[/QUOTE] He's referring to the fact that you can't deliver into an apartment with a drone - there's no way to map an apartment number to a balcony, and automatically navigating onto a balcony is... tricky, in the best of circumstances.

[QUOTE=Widgeon;43097503]Hey guys. Im a UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) Major at the University of North Dakota and fly scan eagles weekly as pilot and sensor operator. When it Amazon announced it I thought it was a cool idea but the more I looked into the more I thought it was a PR stunt. When I went to class the next day we were all talking about it and pretty much spent the whole 2 hour class talking about it. Theres some problems with it: A. When the FAA does come out with regulations for UAS operations, I highly doubt they will allow drones to be flown over populated areas as that is a major risk concern. You dont want a 5LB drone coming out of the sky... Trust me, ive been there... B. Quads and Oco-copters have terrible efficiency, the most ive ever seen one fly for was 8 miles there and back. Now this can be solved, our class thought of the idea of mini swap stations where it would land and then another one would pick it up and fly it to the destination. The swap station would have charging for the drones there. I drew a picture: [IMG]http://puu.sh/5EHzK.png[/IMG] While stealing them really isnt a problem because amazon could easily find them and props can cut through fingers like butter. Honestly the biggest problem from my point of view is just the populated area thing. Cheers, Widgeon If you have any further questions feel free to PM me about anything.[/QUOTE] I was also thinking of the FAA's reaction to this. They aren't exactly showing the greatest love of drones in any form at the moment, so it will be interesting to see how they handle a commercial operator.

I after seeing this whole thing die down, I don't think it is going anywhere. Just a brilliant concept brought up by an office chair and shot down by negative comments. Unfortunately, this will take a while before we hear any buzzing and see yellow boxes on our doorsteps. OT: Second page! :D

I'm sorry, but what stops some guy with a rifle or weapon taking one of these down? They look fragile as hell.

[QUOTE=Haskell;43209240]I'm sorry, but what stops some guy with a rifle or weapon taking one of these down? They look fragile as hell.[/QUOTE] the same law that stops people from shooting a delivery truck driver.

Talked with a Boeing security specialist guy, and he said it was practically impossible for them to do this within the timeframe they are suggesting. Getting approval from the FAA and the regulations they'd have to go through with are not only numerous, but they all take years to actually change.

[QUOTE=RbLcK;43220711]*text*[/QUOTE] Holy poop, that's a lot of time that Amazon DID NOT 'advertise'. Speaking of which, was that YouTube 'advertisement' really an 'advertisement'? Or was it just a little publicity stunt?