Amazon envisions a giant blimp unleashing smaller delivery-drones as the future of package delivery
Many drone enthusiasts would agree that drones can perform tasks that would not have been possible for humans. Drones are considered a perfect solution for improved efficiency and lower operational costs in the field of order fulfillment and delivery. Amazon’s drones are the talk of the town as a video hit Twitter in April, showcasing a huge Amazon air balloon releasing a horde of delivery drones, giving the world a glimpse into the future of delivery. Since 2013, Amazon has been looking into what it calls prime air, concocting and dreaming up its minion drone ideas to carry out its delivery services.
Shared on social media as one of many April fool’s day pranks, the video was shared more than 17,000 times, and 52,000 users liked what Amazon did. Inspired by the Lockheed Martin P-971, a trial hybrid airship, the video was the masterpiece of a digital artist based in Japan (he is one innovative man, it seems).
ドローンで配送するという話があったけど、もう始まってたんだな。もっと先の話かと思ってた。
There was a talk about delivery by drone, but it had already started. I thought it was a story ahead.#エイプリルフール #zozi撮影 pic.twitter.com/hFrmGOKwof
— zozi(厳島神社の人） (@zozi009) 31 March 2019
The masterpiece is not too far from the reality that Amazon is imaging itself, especially if you consider the patent the company filed back in 2014, which was similar in concept. The patent proposed a delivery system powered by drones, complete with a central hub that is airborne. Amazon patented (they were smart and quick to do so) the whole concept of airships that are blimp-like to deploy drones (minions) or unmanned airborne automobiles, to pick up products from the central airborne hub and disperse them to customers accordingly.
Amazon, of course, got the patent awarded to them for this excellent concept, and with the future technological advances in the field of airborne devices and ideas, this concept could very well become a reality soon enough. However, the only drawback that Amazon might face is the permission of operating in the airspace from the aviation authorities. But this would just be a bump (or you could say blimp) in the road, something which Amazon can handle easily.
h/t: Design Boom