Now, here's something I might be willing to march in protest of...
One of the more egregious proposals for accelerating the uglification of the world
since the aborted suggestion of floating geocentric "mega-billboards"
some years back.
Agreed - I do not want this, and when I say that I don't mean that I don't personally want a drone delivering a package to me; I mean that I don't want dozens or hundreds of drones buzzzzzzzzzzing their way across every city - not just the urban core, but pretty much by definition quieter residential areas, and hence parks too.
I imagine that drones will have a constant GPS feedback, so if they're shot down (or otherwise fail / fall), the retailer will know the location and come looking for it.
(To be clear, I'm not defending the use of drones, which I think is stupid, but I'm just saying that all the "I can shoot it with impunity" chatter is misplaced.)
What kind of RANGE could this possibly have?! "Line of sight" not to mention battery issues. Just how exactly do they expect to do this is any viable way???
True but cities are full of apartment buildings. How can a drone deliver to an apartment?
As far as I know, drones have no problem with cities or the buildings that inhabit them.
I meant apartments that have interior hallways, multiple floors or other types of physical restrictions. We have an apartment in the city like that where you have to press the intercom and get buzzed in to unlock the gate.
What kind of RANGE could this possibly have?! "Line of sight" not to mention battery issues. Just how exactly do they expect to do this is any viable way???
They have enough range for the US military to use them on a regular basis to assassinate people out in the middle of nowhere.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mstone
I meant apartments that have interior hallways, multiple floors or other types of physical restrictions. We have an apartment in the city like that where you have to press the intercom and get buzzed in to unlock the gate.
Ahh. Gotcha.
I would guess that they've thought of this stuff, and worked out solutions.
What percent of Amazon deliveries are even drone deliverable? Since the drones can't be very far from the dispatch center anyway, why not hire some college kids on bicycles instead? Whatever saves a few bucks is what they will do I guess.
I'm guessing Amazon has thought a lot about what percentage of their packages are drone deliverable. I'm guessing most stuff is under a pound or two.
We have a major Amazon distribution center just outside the city. A company subcontractor, LaserShip, delivers many packages from the center to your door.
The employees of LaserShip are underpaid and exploited. (My sister used to work for them; LaserShip has the business ethics of pond scum). This way Amazon gets ordinary humans to drive their own personal vehicles instead of owning a fleet of trucks.
None of their drivers have CDLs or business insurance. They are "independent contractors". If they lose a package or have an accident it is entirely on the driver. They are fired if they screw up even once.
Isn't a professional drone pilot going to earn more than double what you would pay a bicyclist. Plus a bicyclist can deliver 100% of the small to medium size packages.
Delivery navigation will be totally automated. Amazon will establish standard air routes and operating altitudes. I'm thinking IBM will be selling them a WATSON or two.
The distribution center in our city is located in an area deadly to bicyclists.
I'm guessing larger drones will deliver large cargos of packages to more localized centers where the individual packages are then grabbed by smaller drones and taken to your house.
If the drones fly above highways to get to your house, they won't be in your airspace. You can count on legislation making shooting down a drone into a felony. Plus you usually cannot discharge a firearm in a residential area (maybe in Texas & Montana).
Amazon will have millions of these manufactured at low cost in China. If each one delivers 100 packages before it breaks and is discarded or refitted, Amazon will make a profit or break even on delivery.
At first delivery will be limited to small packages on sunny days but eventually anything less than 20lbs will go by drone.
You will never stop this. It's coming and will unemploy another segment of society that is scraping bottom.
I meant apartments that have interior hallways, multiple floors or other types of physical restrictions. We have an apartment in the city like that where you have to press the intercom and get buzzed in to unlock the gate.
Consider something less severe than than drones carrying packages to apartments. How about drones carrying packages from distribution centers to repurposed Radio Shacks that will then be picked up by customers entering those staffed stores or then delivered by hand via automobile for the "last mile."
This allows drones to fly the same exact round trip path that could avoid potential hazards, and be recieved by an Amazon employee every atep of the way, without having to wait for full trucks to be sorted and shipped to certain destinations that are prime for one hour and same day deliveries.
If the drones fly above highways to get to your house, they won't be in your airspace. You can count on legislation making shooting down a drone into a felony. Plus you usually cannot discharge a firearm in a residential area (maybe in Texas & Montana).
It's already a felony. Firing a weapon to destroy property that isn't yours is illegal on many levels as it stands right now. New legislation wouldn't be needed.
Consider something cinsiderably less severe than than drones carrying packages to apartments. How about dtones carrying packages from distribution centers to repurposed Radio Shacks that will then be picked up at stores or then delivered by hand via automobile for the "last mile."
This allows drones to fly the same exact round trip path that could avoid potential hazards, and be recieved by an Amazon employee every atep of the way, without having to wait for full trucks to be sorted and shipped to certain destinations that are prime for one hour and same day deliveries.
Perhaps, but as of now the pilots need to be licensed .
What percent of Amazon deliveries are even drone deliverable? Since the drones can't be very far from the dispatch center anyway, why not hire some college kids on bicycles instead? Whatever saves a few bucks is what they will do I guess.
I'm guessing Amazon has thought a lot about what percentage of their packages are drone deliverable. I'm guessing most stuff is under a pound or two.
We have a major Amazon distribution center just outside the city. A company subcontractor, LaserShip, delivers many packages from the center to your door.
The employees of LaserShip are underpaid and exploited. (My sister used to work for them; LaserShip has the business ethics of pond scum). This way Amazon gets ordinary humans to drive their own personal vehicles instead of owning a fleet of trucks.
None of their drivers have CDLs or business insurance. They are "independent contractors". If they lose a package or have an accident it is entirely on the driver. They are fired if they screw up even once.
Isn't a professional drone pilot going to earn more than double what you would pay a bicyclist. Plus a bicyclist can deliver 100% of the small to medium size packages.
Delivery navigation will be totally automated. Amazon will establish standard air routes and operating altitudes. I'm thinking IBM will be selling them a WATSON or two.
The distribution center in our city is located in an area deadly to bicyclists.
I'm guessing larger drones will deliver large cargos of packages to more localized centers where the individual packages are then grabbed by smaller drones and taken to your house.
If the drones fly above highways to get to your house, they won't be in your airspace. You can count on legislation making shooting down a drone into a felony. Plus you usually cannot discharge a firearm in a residential area (maybe in Texas & Montana).
Amazon will have millions of these manufactured at low cost in China. If each one delivers 100 packages before it breaks and is discarded or refitted, Amazon will make a profit or break even on delivery.
At first delivery will be limited to small packages on sunny days but eventually anything less than 20lbs will go by drone.
You will never stop this. It's coming and will unemploy another segment of society that is scraping bottom.
You do know the government is already experimenting with weapon equipped drones that can spy and attack citizens right?
This Amazon initiative will eventually seal the deal for these drones.
If the government wanted to attack and kill citizens using drones, they certainly wouldn't need to experiment. They already do that overseas. All the freakin' time.
Comments
Now, here's something I might be willing to march in protest of...
One of the more egregious proposals for accelerating the uglification of the world
since the aborted suggestion of floating geocentric "mega-billboards"
some years back.
Agreed - I do not want this, and when I say that I don't mean that I don't personally want a drone delivering a package to me; I mean that I don't want dozens or hundreds of drones buzzzzzzzzzzing their way across every city - not just the urban core, but pretty much by definition quieter residential areas, and hence parks too.
Amazon PR stunt gets extension from lobbyist owned shills.
How about delivering me a Chipotle burrito. Right to my hand, in 15 minutes.
And I'd pay for it with my ?Watch.
Wait for it... Amazon Fire Watch!
I imagine that drones will have a constant GPS feedback, so if they're shot down (or otherwise fail / fall), the retailer will know the location and come looking for it.
(To be clear, I'm not defending the use of drones, which I think is stupid, but I'm just saying that all the "I can shoot it with impunity" chatter is misplaced.)
True but cities are full of apartment buildings. How can a drone deliver to an apartment?
As far as I know, drones have no problem with cities or the buildings that inhabit them.
I just don't see how it saves any money.
They have to hire professional pilots or train them
They have to lease a bunch of small local dispatch locations
Many deliveries will not be drone compatible
Expensive equipment that probably has a substantial failure rate
Incompatible with bad weather conditions
Increased liability and insurance costs
Strong opposition by general public damaging brand
Vandalism and theft opportunists issues
Where is the upside?
True but cities are full of apartment buildings. How can a drone deliver to an apartment?
As far as I know, drones have no problem with cities or the buildings that inhabit them.
I meant apartments that have interior hallways, multiple floors or other types of physical restrictions. We have an apartment in the city like that where you have to press the intercom and get buzzed in to unlock the gate.
What kind of RANGE could this possibly have?! "Line of sight" not to mention battery issues. Just how exactly do they expect to do this is any viable way???
They have enough range for the US military to use them on a regular basis to assassinate people out in the middle of nowhere.
I meant apartments that have interior hallways, multiple floors or other types of physical restrictions. We have an apartment in the city like that where you have to press the intercom and get buzzed in to unlock the gate.
Ahh. Gotcha.
I would guess that they've thought of this stuff, and worked out solutions.
Why assume this would be available in a rural area?
I'm guessing Amazon has thought a lot about what percentage of their packages are drone deliverable. I'm guessing most stuff is under a pound or two.
We have a major Amazon distribution center just outside the city. A company subcontractor, LaserShip, delivers many packages from the center to your door.
The employees of LaserShip are underpaid and exploited. (My sister used to work for them; LaserShip has the business ethics of pond scum). This way Amazon gets ordinary humans to drive their own personal vehicles instead of owning a fleet of trucks.
None of their drivers have CDLs or business insurance. They are "independent contractors". If they lose a package or have an accident it is entirely on the driver. They are fired if they screw up even once.
Delivery navigation will be totally automated. Amazon will establish standard air routes and operating altitudes. I'm thinking IBM will be selling them a WATSON or two.
The distribution center in our city is located in an area deadly to bicyclists.
I'm guessing larger drones will deliver large cargos of packages to more localized centers where the individual packages are then grabbed by smaller drones and taken to your house.
If the drones fly above highways to get to your house, they won't be in your airspace. You can count on legislation making shooting down a drone into a felony. Plus you usually cannot discharge a firearm in a residential area (maybe in Texas & Montana).
Amazon will have millions of these manufactured at low cost in China. If each one delivers 100 packages before it breaks and is discarded or refitted, Amazon will make a profit or break even on delivery.
At first delivery will be limited to small packages on sunny days but eventually anything less than 20lbs will go by drone.
You will never stop this. It's coming and will unemploy another segment of society that is scraping bottom.
Consider something less severe than than drones carrying packages to apartments. How about drones carrying packages from distribution centers to repurposed Radio Shacks that will then be picked up by customers entering those staffed stores or then delivered by hand via automobile for the "last mile."
This allows drones to fly the same exact round trip path that could avoid potential hazards, and be recieved by an Amazon employee every atep of the way, without having to wait for full trucks to be sorted and shipped to certain destinations that are prime for one hour and same day deliveries.
If the drones fly above highways to get to your house, they won't be in your airspace. You can count on legislation making shooting down a drone into a felony. Plus you usually cannot discharge a firearm in a residential area (maybe in Texas & Montana).
It's already a felony. Firing a weapon to destroy property that isn't yours is illegal on many levels as it stands right now. New legislation wouldn't be needed.
This allows drones to fly the same exact round trip path that could avoid potential hazards, and be recieved by an Amazon employee every atep of the way, without having to wait for full trucks to be sorted and shipped to certain destinations that are prime for one hour and same day deliveries.
Perhaps, but as of now the pilots need to be licensed .
I'll check the thread tomorrow, going to bed.
This Amazon initiative will eventually seal the deal for these drones.
You're deluded, to put it mildly.
They have to hire professional pilots or train them
They have to lease a bunch of small local dispatch locations
Many deliveries will not be drone compatible
Expensive equipment that probably has a substantial failure rate
Incompatible with bad weather conditions
Increased liability and insurance costs
Strong opposition by general public damaging brand
Vandalism and theft opportunists issues
Where is the upside?
It’s funny, but every single one of your points applies to this.
You do know the government is already experimenting with weapon equipped drones that can spy and attack citizens right?
This Amazon initiative will eventually seal the deal for these drones.
If the government wanted to attack and kill citizens using drones, they certainly wouldn't need to experiment. They already do that overseas. All the freakin' time.
(If you were being sarcastic, then I am sorry.
)