Amazon patents delivery drones replenishment from trains, vans and boats

Amazon plans for delivery drones are becoming clearer when you look at the ecommerce giant’s latest patent application regarding delivery drones. You can view the latest patent application here: drones will be going to collect their despatch and consignments from moving vehicles such as trains, boats and trucks. Or as the application refers to it: “Ground-based mobile maintenance facilities for unmanned aerial vehicles”.

We’ve seen the great big beehive drone restocking tower block they have imagined. Huge trucks will deliver goods into the base of the building and whizzy drones will take those wares and deliver them to shoppers, having collected them from the hive. And then there is the notion of Amazon underwater storage. Both have been the topic of Amazon patent applications in recent months.

Is the future of drone delivery a genuine possibility? The first drone delivery was made in the UK in Cambridgeshire just before Christmas last year to great PR acclaim. But the real possibilities are really mired in regulatory issues, as was highlighted by a recent change in UK government policy recently.

It looks like drones in the UK will have to be formally registered under rules being consulted on: “Users may be able to register online or through apps, under plans being explored by the government. The move follows safety research that concluded drones could damage the windscreens of helicopters. In addition, a new drone safety awareness test means owners will have to prove that they understand UK safety, security and privacy regulations.”

As recent skirmishes and incidents at British airports have shown, there can sometimes be problems with drones when they operate in close proximity to existing, traditional aviation services. But that doesn’t mean that the two couldn’t potentially co-exist in harmony. But we think it’s fair to say, despite Amazon’s enthusiasm for drones, that every day usage is really quite some way off.