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Amazon's drone delivery program is the joke it always sounded like. (news.yahoo.com)

submitted 1 year ago by FlyingSquid@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

239 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Only one item can be delivered at a time. It can’t weigh more than 5 pounds. It can’t be too big. It can’t be something breakable, since the drone drops it from 12 feet. The drones can’t fly when it is too hot or too windy or too rainy.

You need to be home to put out the landing target and to make sure that a porch pirate doesn’t make off with your item or that it doesn’t roll into the street (which happened once to Lord and Silverman). But your car can’t be in the driveway. Letting the drone land in the backyard would avoid some of these problems, but not if there are trees.

Amazon has also warned customers that drone delivery is unavailable during periods of high demand for drone delivery.

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[–] uriel238@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 1 year ago (3 children)

It raises the question why a drone can't deposit it lower than 12 feet. Is this drone theft control?

[–] Natanael@slrpnk.net 6 points 1 year ago

It can't be allowed to fly too close to people, and there's also concerns with interfere, collisions, animals, etc

[–] 5gruel@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Having built commerical drones, it's mainly two things, obstacles and ground effect.

[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Probably loss of signal from GPS for one, and there are far more obstacles like power lines that can be hit below 12 feet.

[–] ElderWendigo@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Show me where power lines are below 12 feet, except the insulated residential connections.

[–] SkaveRat@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 1 year ago

Here points and gets zapped dead

[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Really. Did you just say I couldn’t use the very power lines I was indirectly referencing in order to make yourself right? The very power lines that are closest to the point of delivery - people’s homes?

That’s like saying “there’s no water on land except for the lakes, and you can’t talk about them. “

[–] MuffinHeeler@aussie.zone 3 points 1 year ago

Might be a stupid idea, but maybe a cable that extends 12ft down and releases the object at ground level or close to, then retracts to the drone. Surely they have thought of this though