Amazon has permission to fly its drones over longer distances2024-05-30 17:40 by DanielaTags: Amazon, drone
Amazon is getting FAA approval to fly its Prime Air drones farther than ever before. The agency has granted Amazon permission to operate package delivery drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), which is farther than a human can see. It's a milestone that could be a huge boon to the company's long-running ambition to deliver products to customers in 30 minutes. For now, Amazon's BVLOS certification appears to only apply for an expanded, "more densely populated" delivery area surrounding its Fulfillment Center in College Station, Texas. Prime Air drones are also currently only capable of carrying five-pounds of cargo, which limits them to items like household essentials and drugstore products. Amazon says it plans to integrate its drones into larger delivery networks by the end of the year, including Same-Day Delivery sites. Prime Air testing is also occurring in Arizona, California, and in Italy. Amazon's new FAA approval comes after it shut down its testing operations site in Lockeford, California, after a long approval process to get customer deliveries running. Amazon is now in the process of opening a new Prime Air location in Tolleson, Arizona. Amazon was granted BVLOS after other drone delivery operators had already received clearance, including UPS, Wing, FedEx, and Zipline. Of course, the company isn't planning on stopping there. Amazon says its ultimate goal is to offer 30-minutes-or-less package deliveries from "highly autonomous drones" across much wider areas, with an aim of completing 500 million deliveries per year by the decade's end. Advocates argue an increased reliance on drones could cut down on costly vehicle carbon emissions and lessen the notoriously demanding (and some would say dangerous) Prime Delivery employee quotas. Meanwhile, there's always the question of just how much automation companies like Amazon truly envision, and what that could ultimately mean for the human labor force. Read more -here-
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