UK gives Amazon permission to test drone delivery

Amazon and the United Kingdom have entered into a partnership, under which the company will explore drone delivery options. Amazon reports that the research focuses on three specific topics.

This involves flying drones out of line of sight, in rural and suburban areas. Tests with sensors are also being carried out to test whether the drones are able to recognize and avoid obstacles. Finally, Amazon is looking at the possibility of controlling multiple largely autonomous drones by a single driver, the company wrote in a press release.

These tests should clarify how drones can be used safely and which rules are necessary for this, Amazon adds. The UK expects the service to increase customer satisfaction and create more jobs. Amazon’s service should eventually make it possible to deliver packages within thirty minutes.

Plans for this form of delivery date back to 2013, when Amazon announced experiments with drones. In March 2015, the company was authorized to conduct tests in the US. The German DHL has similar plans.

2015 Delivery Drone Prototype