Amazon Prime Air Promises Delivery in Under 30 Minutes

Fans of instant gratification should be pleased to hear about Amazon’s new drone delivery program, Amazon Prime Air, a future delivery service where packages weighing under 5 lbs. will be delivered to your front door (or designated landing area) within 30 minutes.

While Amazon Prime Air isn’t in place quite yet, the online retailer has released a humorous video detailing how the drone delivery will work.

The video refers to drones as a “miracle of modern technology.” Here’s how it will work: The drone raises vertically to 400 feet, similar to how a helicopter takes off. It then moves into airplane-mode horizontally. When it reaches its destination, the drone scans the area for a clear landing space, dropping off the package.

The video goes on to add that, at some point, there will be different types of drones depending on the delivery environment and package type.  And for those worried about a sky full of drones crashing into things, don’t. These drones will use “sense and avoid” technology to keep away from other objects, both in the sky and on the ground.

Amazon still has a bunch of issues to deal with before drone delivery can get off the ground. (See what we did there?)

First off, there are regulatory hurdles, including with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), when it comes to putting anything in the air. Then there are the logistical issues. Amazon makes an incredible amount of deliveries a week. Does that mean they’ll be filling the sky with drones?

For now, Amazon is working on their drone design while offering ideas to the FAA and other regulatory boards on how to make Amazon Prime Air work. So don’t look to the sky just yet.