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Delivery by Drone

PARAGUAY

PARAGUAY

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Joined
13 Nov 2013
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Lancashire
Should we worry about this Amazon in the US are using large drones to deliver parcels,dropped from height onto a soft surface, l can see this being taken by the criminal element and used for all sort of illegal goings on.
 
Prime Air is still a thing? Looks for updates

The company at present only offers Prime Air delivery in two locations: College Station, Texas, and Lockeford, California. ... It's expanding to a third US city, too.
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crickets

Delivery thefts aren't new. Shot down drones would be part of the new normal as ground delivery drones are already vandalized.

Remember hitchhiking robot, hitchBOT, that was traveling the world? Didn't even leave the east coast before meeting its demise.
 
I can't imagine this to be a very cost-effective way of delivering packages, it only says it can still deliver in light rain... But what about wind? Especially in urban non-laminar wind conditions. At the windward side of the obstacle, there will be an updraft about 4 times as high as the obstacle itself, behind it is the leeward side with a rolling wind and a downdraft/diving wind.

We don't need that much wind speed to crash flying too low over an obstacle into a rolling and diving wind. I don't see an automated drone anticipating this and correcting it in time. It's spooky and very dangerous flying in such conditions.

Drone Delivery? Not today sir! And not for the coming 3 weeks according to the weather forecast...
 
Where I live on an island, there is presently testing going on with a large drone plane that can deliver pharmaceuticals across the 70 miles of sea from England. I think it has an 8’ wing span and travels at 100 mph.
 
foxfish said:
Where I live on an island, there is presently testing going on with a large drone plane that can deliver pharmaceuticals across the 70 miles of sea from England. I think it has an 8’ wing span and travels at 100 mph.
Click to expand...

Well yes, that's a different cake and feasibly possible at such a scale... But the way it's advertised with ordering a pair of trousers at Amazon and getting it delivered in the middle of an urban environment at your doorstep with an ultra-light? And or drone taxis flying people around 60 feet above the pavement in the middle of New York City.

I believe this is still science fiction that probably will never happen. Or this can only be done in days without any wind and then we still can't predict any thermal drafts at such a low altitude. Passing leeward through such a draft can suddenly cause a fall of 50 feet p/s. I can't see an automated drone anticipating this and correcting this with computer speed and engine power in a split second and also avoiding obstacles on its way down at the same time. That would be a bumpy delivery...

I did fly ultra-light myself for a few years and almost craped my pants a few times... Meteorology can be pretty unpredictably bumpy and obstacles at low altitudes should be avoided by over a factor 10 distance and height at all times. We have a saying "It's beter to be on the ground and wish you were flying, then flying and wishing you were on the ground". The morality of the saying means, you always should think it over10 times if you should go fly this day...

No idea for the rest of the world but in our country flying an ultra-light at to low altitude above urban erea could cost you a few months salery fine and your license.
 
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Oh how times have changed as tech has improved. I spent 8 months inside a cat. B prison once. They used to lob contraband over the security fence in hollowed out cricket balls.

I was able to go home at the end of the day though. I was a tutor, one of my first teaching jobs 😁
 
I believe those,off the footage, they are quite hefty beasts, they hover over a (think trampoline type) target) so the drone flys over and drops it's goods ,.So if it catches on in say London imagine them all over this city, criminals will love the ability to deliver contraband sent by drone, also serious dropping of more dangerous items! This summer just before sunset l heard a buzzing sound as did neighbours ,going into the cul de sac this chap was operating a quite easy to obtain drone. Giving a demo he sent it off about a mile over a industrial estate a clear view of everything on his phone. Quite dark bringing it back hearing the noise again it gently came down to his feet.
I can see uses in rural hard to access places dropping medicines off etc but more regulation maybe . One did shut Heathrow down?
 
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