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>Flying blind to a preprogrammed GPS location is simply impossible in the real world. I didn't intend to rule out the need for clever self-flying technology on

>Flying blind to a preprogrammed GPS location is simply impossible in the real world. I didn't intend to rule out the need for clever self-flying technology on the part of Amazon. But comparing the challenges that face an airplane that carries people at very high speeds and altitudes to a low altitude slow-moving drone is pretty silly. Google's self driving car does this at road speed limits. There's no reason a drone doing 20 MPH with an extra degree of freedom couldn't do it as well. >Also, remember that GPS isn't quite enough to drop a package right on your doorstep. You need much more than that. >> at which point control is handed to a pilot for the landing & package drop

raverbashing 13y ago
>> at which point control is handed to a pilot for the landing & package drop Good, how? Do you think 4G can allow you to do that? With enough latency? Flying military drones is a very complicated matter. Today civilian drones are flown with visual contact and at close range. So, no.
- jonlucc 13y ago
  Do I misunderstand this technology? I think the fly to GPS waypoints thing is done by these guys: http://copter.ardupilot.com/ http://copter.ardupilot.com/
  - raverbashing 13y ago
    See this: http://copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/planning-an-apmcopter-mission-with-waypoints-and-events/ http://copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/planning-an-apmcopter-missi... The flight is manually pre-planned. You also need to consider obstacles (and other aircraft).
- leoc 13y ago
  High latency's hardly going to be the end of the world for a slow-moving, low-mass n-copter that can just sit where it is during a lag spike.
  - pyre 13y ago
    I think the point the parent was making was lack of real-time feedback for the pilot.
    - leoc 13y ago
      Yes, my point was that such a device is going to be relatively easy to fly remotely even over a balky, high-latency connection. (Except perhaps in high winds, but high winds are likely to ground these things anyway.)
- owenmarshall 13y ago
  >Good, how? Well, if we assume that the drone is pilotless up to the point when the drone needs to land: * the drone flies to the GPS point in question and hovers pending instruction * the drone takes a picture of the ground area and sends it via 4G to a controller * the controller identifies a landing point and transmits it back to the drone * the drone uses its obstacle avoidance systems to land, drop the package, and take back off for a return to Amazon's center. This is just one idea. Perhaps Amazon provides you with a beacon for the drone, or you get a big QR code for the drone to target your house & they don't need pilots at all. Who knows! Either way, it seems to me that the most interesting thing would be the collision avoidance systems for automated flight. But considering Google can do this with a car on highways, I'd imagine that a slow moving drone that can also operate along the Z axis would be easier. > Flying military drones is a very complicated matter. I'm sure it is - but military drones have an incredibly different mission; comparing them to a slow package delivery drone isn't really worthwhile. Hell, according to Wiki the Predator drone's stall speed is 60 mph - Amazon drones sound like they will be much slower, at least at first.

raverbashing 13y ago

>> at which point control is handed to a pilot for the landing & package drop Good, how? Do you think 4G can allow you to do that? With enough latency? Flying military drones is a very complicated matter. Today civilian drones are flown with visual contact and at close range. So, no.

jonlucc 13y ago
Do I misunderstand this technology? I think the fly to GPS waypoints thing is done by these guys: http://copter.ardupilot.com/ http://copter.ardupilot.com/
- raverbashing 13y ago
  See this: http://copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/planning-an-apmcopter-mission-with-waypoints-and-events/ http://copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/planning-an-apmcopter-missi... The flight is manually pre-planned. You also need to consider obstacles (and other aircraft).
leoc 13y ago
High latency's hardly going to be the end of the world for a slow-moving, low-mass n-copter that can just sit where it is during a lag spike.
- pyre 13y ago
  I think the point the parent was making was lack of real-time feedback for the pilot.
  - leoc 13y ago
    Yes, my point was that such a device is going to be relatively easy to fly remotely even over a balky, high-latency connection. (Except perhaps in high winds, but high winds are likely to ground these things anyway.)
owenmarshall 13y ago
>Good, how? Well, if we assume that the drone is pilotless up to the point when the drone needs to land: * the drone flies to the GPS point in question and hovers pending instruction * the drone takes a picture of the ground area and sends it via 4G to a controller * the controller identifies a landing point and transmits it back to the drone * the drone uses its obstacle avoidance systems to land, drop the package, and take back off for a return to Amazon's center. This is just one idea. Perhaps Amazon provides you with a beacon for the drone, or you get a big QR code for the drone to target your house & they don't need pilots at all. Who knows! Either way, it seems to me that the most interesting thing would be the collision avoidance systems for automated flight. But considering Google can do this with a car on highways, I'd imagine that a slow moving drone that can also operate along the Z axis would be easier. > Flying military drones is a very complicated matter. I'm sure it is - but military drones have an incredibly different mission; comparing them to a slow package delivery drone isn't really worthwhile. Hell, according to Wiki the Predator drone's stall speed is 60 mph - Amazon drones sound like they will be much slower, at least at first.