Amazon has patented for a beehive like depot which would be used to dispatch the delivery drones. The retail giant has already used the drones for deliveries as a part of its futuristic projects “Prime Air” service, which would send small packages by drones in under 30 minutes.
The Patent proposes
The patent proposes using the nine storeyd facility to recharge and house drone. They are basically built in a way to occupy less space in the town or cities and cut congestion on the road. While amazon has more fulfillment centers in UK, where ten thousands of packages are stored, sorted and shipped, the patent suggests these traditional warehouses could be replaced by multilevel facilities with landing pads for delivery by air. The patent describes how “unlike traditional fulfillment centers, the multilevel fulfillment center’s may include many levels” with “one or more landing locations, one or more deployment locations to accommodate unmanned air vehicles.
Conclusion
Last year the retail giant tested its drone service in UK, making its first ever package delivery in 13 minutes to a house in Cambridge. Moreover, this is not the first experimental patent amazon has filed for its fleet of drone delivery vehicles. Amazon has also proposed for “air-borne fulfillment center’s” that would be used as flying bases as aerial home deliveries. Flying 45,000 feet, the warehouse would hang from zeppelin-style airship and be stocked with popular items, with drones swooping down to earth before returning to the mothership. Amazon has led much its airborne delivery testing form UK, where special permission from Civil Aviation Authority have made it easier to run the pilot.
