ABSTRACT
A few weeks before Christmas 2013, Amazon, the world’s largest e-commerce company, revealed plans about Prime Air, a delivery system that uses drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) to deliver products to customers in 30 minutes or less (see Figure 4.1). Its CEO, Jeff Bezos, said on television that the drones could be ready to take flight in 4 to 5 years.* Amazon’s drones are small, unmanned octocopters or eight-rotor helicopters (helicopters with eight tiny rotors) that use global positioning system (GPS) navigation and have electric motors. The current models have a range of 16 kilometers (or 9 miles), travel over 80 km/h (or 50 mph), and can carry products weighing less than 2.5 kilograms (or 5.5 pounds) (a criterion that covers 86% of the products offered on Amazon). Prime Air could mean quick and efficient deliveries for consumers. Amazon’s goal is to make this drone delivery service available to customers worldwide as soon as it is permitted by legislation.
