Patent Suggests Amazon Will Use Parachutes To Make Drone Deliveries

Amazon’s plans to eventually use drones to make package deliveries isn’t new. The idea is that the drone will fly to a customer’s house, land in front of their door or driveway, the customer picks up the package and they’re good to go. However as discovered by CNN, it seems that Amazon might have a different method of delivery planned.

The idea of using drones is still there, but instead of the drone landing, the patent suggests that Amazon will instead release the package by dropping it from the sky and having it land via parachute. The idea is that it would be more efficient and safer compared to landing it, where landing it could lead to accidents with pets, children, and other objects.

So what if the package does not land at the correct destination? According to the patent, the drone will monitor the landing of the package while still in the air. Should it detect that it is going off-course, it will then instruct the delivery mechanism to deploy a parachute, use a landing flap, or use a compressed air canister to help steer it to the right direction.

While it sounds like an interesting idea, such methods could be rather costly and more complicated than just landing a drone on the driveway or doorstep of a customer. In any case it might still be too early to tell what Amazon might eventually end up choosing, but what do you guys think of this method?

Tyler Lee
Categories: Robots
Tags: Amazon, Drones, Patent