Nearly ten years ago, Jeff Bezos announced Amazon’s drone delivery service. Finally, it’s ready to start.
Calsee Hendrickson, the manager of Amazon’s Prime Air drone project, recently explained the MK27-2 drone that Amazon will fly. She said it will start being used in Lockeford, California, and College Station, Texas this year.
Hendrickson says that Amazon’s drones are designed to drop packages from about 3.5 meters (12ft) in the air. She also says that the drone can detect other aircraft and fly around them. It can also detect something like a dog or person under the drone, and then won’t deliver the package.
Some people are concerned about privacy and safety, but Amazon says the drones are safe.
The drone weighs about 36kg (80lbs) but can only carry packages that are less than 2kg (5lbs) and the size of a shoe box. It can fly about 80 kilometers per hour (50mph) and 12km round trip.
The drone needs a lot of clear space on the ground so it can drop the package for delivery.
Amazon’s Prime Air drones started testing in 2013 and made its first delivery in 2016. However, there were setbacks and crashes. In 2020, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved Amazon’s drones.
Amazon will launch its next model drone, the MK30, in 2024. It’s smaller and quieter than the MK27-2.
VOCABULARY
- Nearly – almost; about; near
- Announce – share information openly; to tell the public; to make a statement; to report
- Drone – an aircraft that does not have a pilot but is controlled by someone on the ground
- Delivery – the act or process of bringing goods, letters, etc., to a place or person; transport
- Design – to make for a special task or job; do or plan (something) with a specific purpose in mind;
- Detect – notice; observe; see; find out
- Aircraft – airplane
- Concerned – worried; anxious; troubled; bothered
- Privacy – the right/freedom to keep your personal life or personal information secret or safe
- Round trip – a trip from one place to another place and back to where you started
- Ground – floor; earth; solid surface
- Setback – problem; difficulty; issue; complication
- Approve – officially agree; accept; to say “yes”; authorize
- Launch – start selling something; introduce a new product
- Model – a particular type of machine, e.g., car, computer, smartphone, etc., that is slightly different from machines of the same type
Original story from CNBC below:
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