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Cool tech, but I question the practicality of it. This seems fraught with problems that a human on a bike wouldn't have. They're also entirely unsuitable for ur
by TillE 13y ago
Cool tech, but I question the practicality of it. This seems fraught with problems that a human on a bike wouldn't have. They're also entirely unsuitable for urban areas.
- chad_oliver 13y agoNo, they're not entirely unsuitable for urban areas. Instead, their (relatively) short range means that they're unsuitable for anything except urban areas. If designed poorly, they would be very unsafe, but there are plenty of ways to increase the safety. For example, notice that the drones have more than 4 rotors. This gives a bit of redundancy so that a motor can fail without causing the drone to crash.
- amalag 13y agoUrban areas but don't you have to exclude apartments too.
- chad_oliver 13y agoGood point. I come from a low-rise city (Christchurch, New Zealand) so I'd forgotten about that. I suppose you could designate a safe spot, perhaps on the roof of the apartment?
- PKop 13y agoI'm not sure why this keeps being mentioned. Seems easy enough to build a common landing zone for pickups. Roof, open grass area, etc. If you were an apartment owner, is there no way you could think of solving that issue?
- ams6110 13y agoCan't wait until the first time one shreds a customer's dog, (or face, child, etc.) as it tries to deposit a package on her front porch.
- pekk 13y agoso install a drone landing pad on the roof..
- toyg 13y agoAs the regulatory and commercial frameworks evolve, I can see how buildings would have dedicated landing zones (likely on roofs)… the XXI century equivalent of mailboxes.
- dpcan 13y agoWhy does this thing even have to land? Can't it drop each package with a mini parachute from about roof-top level with good accuracy? Or even 10ft, just above the height of most kids, dogs, cars and adults.
- cheapsteak 13y agoIf we're talking about urban areas, and since most people in urban areas live in highrises, where would it even land on? I'm sure there's a solution, it's incredibly fun to think about. edit: Maybe install a landing pad by the window? People are allowed to install satelite receivers there right? Why not a small landing pad
- RandallBrown 13y agoMy apartment building has a large rooftop deck. It would be easy to set up a package drop zone or something for the drones to use. If the drones are really good, I have a balcony they could easily land on to deliver packages right to my place in a pretty secure way. Also, given the timeframe (30 minutes), the drone could just text me to go outside and I could pick it up on the sidewalk outside my apartment.
- XorNot 13y agoSkycrane landing. I've been reading and reading and can't believe it hasn't been mentioned - the drone simply unreels the payload on a cable while hovering until it gets to the ground. Then you either detach the clips, or, use a disposable cable and just clip the wires at the drone-end (saves on possibly tangles).
- nicksergeant 13y agoThe vast majority of the US isn't in an urban area, where these would thrive (presuming they could get the distance thing down). Edit: maybe not (see below).
- cloudwalking 13y agoActually, 80% of US citizens are in "urban areas." http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/2010_census/cb12-50.html http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/2010_census...
- nicksergeant 13y agoInteresting, thanks for the research. I guess I shouldn't be too shocked, but it is a bit surprising (we have an enormous land mass).
- thaumasiotes 13y agoYeah, we have a lot of land, but you wouldn't want to live there...
- ISL 13y agoI'm glad you don't. :).
- brown9-2 13y agoAre you considering land mass or where people actually live? Large sections of the country are practically unpopulated.
- rottyguy 13y agoLanding on roofs? Balconies? Amazon mini-helipad mounted outside your window? :-). buildings built to accommodate drone delivery (usable by usps/fedex/ups/drugstores/pizza, food delivery?)
- a8da6b0c91d 13y ago> problems that a human on a bike wouldn't have Seriously, why the need for flight? Why not unicycle delivery drones?
- evan_ 13y agoA unicycle drone would have to navigate the streets and avoid people. This thing won't need to have as-complicated navigation.
- krapp 13y ago> This seems fraught with problems that a human on a bike wouldn't have. The problem is, that human would insist on being paid for their labor.