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Drones


Risso

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That's pretty much my thoughts too. I expect fast tracked legislation which will get patched up over time. Good law is about getting the intents correct. Details are for the courts.

 

Now if we could stop employers requiring that we ship people around the country five days a week we can solve all the transportation issues in two posts.

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You really can start to see how Amazon's plans to deliver by drone aren't as far fetched as you might think.  I can send my drone around our garden and beyond, missing all objects in the way like trees and walls simply by plotting points on a map on my mobile phone.

"Technically feasible" versus "legally, reliably, verifiably safely achievable" are so far apart as to make their "plans" very "far fetched". (IMO).

 

 

 

Well, a bit more detail here in the Graun:

 

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/nov/12/amazon-drones-cambridge-prime-air-testing

 

"Amazon is planning to test drones in Cambridge, England, as the battle to offer consumers same-day deliveries heats up."

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Now if we could stop employers requiring that we ship people around the country five days a week we can solve all the transportation issues in two posts.

 

If you could put a pin in that one for about thirty years I'd be quite happy.   We don't want robots or cultural changes doing The_Rev out of a job just yet, do we?  :ph34r:

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Now if we could stop employers requiring that we ship people around the country five days a week we can solve all the transportation issues in two posts.

 

If you could put a pin in that one for about thirty years I'd be quite happy.   We don't want robots or cultural changes doing The_Rev out of a job just yet, do we?  :ph34r:

I think trains will be one of the first, or one of the last. You'll probably be lucky that our infrastructure is not suitable for CBTC especially in urban areas.

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Well, a bit more detail here in the Graun:

 

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/nov/12/amazon-drones-cambridge-prime-air-testing

 

"Amazon is planning to test drones in Cambridge, England, as the battle to offer consumers same-day deliveries heats up."

Aside from the Guardian not being the first place I'd look for a reliable source of considered and balanced reporting on drones and other similar technology, the actual content of that article in terms of the people quoted tends to support the view that it's (being polite) a bobbins idea and won't be happening any time soon

 

"little more than a publicity stunt..."

"Amazon said in July that it had sought permission from the US Federal Aviation Administration to test drones that could fly as fast as 50 miles per hour for up to 30 minutes at a time to deliver packages weighing up to 2.3kg (5lb)." - so how did that go then? it doesn't say, does it. I think I can guess the answer from the FAA, mind.

"Nick Bubb, a retail analyst, believed the idea of making deliveries by drone was impractical and had questionable economics....there are still bound to be accidents and collisions.”

 

And so on.

 

Amazon wouldn't be negotiating their "delivery partners" costs at all, would they?-  Just asking, like.

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Amazon wouldn't be negotiating their "delivery partners" costs at all, would they?-  Just asking, like.

They always are. I'm not sure that's the issue here though. A good amount of Amazon's logistics in the UK is done by themselves. It would seem crazy for them to pursue this unless they thought there was at least a possibility of it being cost effective.

 

Seems to me like driverless linehaul would be better for Amazon than driverless customer deliveries.

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Was always wondering if the battery level indicator would be accurate and if the drone would just drop out of the sky without any notice!

 

Not with mine.  The battery level is very accurately displayed on the mobile phone app, and when it gets too low, it flies back to where it started from, avoiding incidents like the one above.

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Do they return to where they were launched from or where the pilot/remote/phone/whatever is?   The second one would be an incredibly handy feature do you not think?  Dunno how fast they can go but I guess if you could get one to follow you then you could get some great tracking shots of stuff. 

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Do they return to where they were launched from or where the pilot/remote/phone/whatever is?   The second one would be an incredibly handy feature do you not think?  Dunno how fast they can go but I guess if you could get one to follow you then you could get some great tracking shots of stuff. 

The zano returns to the controlling device by default. It can also track and follow.

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Do they return to where they were launched from or where the pilot/remote/phone/whatever is?   The second one would be an incredibly handy feature do you not think?  Dunno how fast they can go but I guess if you could get one to follow you then you could get some great tracking shots of stuff. 

 

You set a home point using your mobile phone on Google maps, and they return to there.  You can plot routes for them as well using the same feature.  The Zano looks brilliant, I ordered one.....

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

 

 

You really can start to see how Amazon's plans to deliver by drone aren't as far fetched as you might think.  I can send my drone around our garden and beyond, missing all objects in the way like trees and walls simply by plotting points on a map on my mobile phone.

"Technically feasible" versus "legally, reliably, verifiably safely achievable" are so far apart as to make their "plans" very "far fetched". (IMO).

 

 

 

Well, a bit more detail here in the Graun:

 

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/nov/12/amazon-drones-cambridge-prime-air-testing

 

"Amazon is planning to test drones in Cambridge, England, as the battle to offer consumers same-day deliveries heats up."

The Independent reports

London - It was called the "octocopter" and it promised to fly anything from concert tickets to toys direct to your door inside half an hour.

But Amazon's ambitious plans for delivery by drone have been dealt a blow thanks to draft US legislation that would severely restrict their commercial use.

The US Federal Aviation Authority on Monday released new proposals that would effectively make it illegal for drones to fly outside the pilot's line of sight, a move that would significantly reduce their commercial reach.

It would also restrict night flights and restrict the ability to fly in densely populated areas....

 

...The UK also has strict air regulations determined by the Civil Aviation Authority which bans the flying of drones over or within 150m of built-up areas. But the rules surrounding their use are not as close to the statute books as they seem to be in the US.

A report last November by the University of Birmingham Policy Commissions stated the use of drones in the UK will jump in the next 20 years, raising "significant safety, security, and privacy concerns". The commission called for measures to protect citizens' privacy, but said unmanned aircraft could bring "significant" economic benefits.

 

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