Amazon To Roll Out Drone Delivery in Chicago

BY MATTHEW WEISSMAN

Amazon is set to roll out its Prime Air drone delivery service to several neighborhoods in the Chicago area this summer, a significant milestone in the development of autonomous logistics. The drones will deliver packages weighing as much as 5 pounds, or about the size of a shoe box, in under two hours to customers’ yards or driveways.

The service will be launched from the e-commerce giant’s fulfillment centers in Markham and Matteson, with a delivery range of about 7.5 to 8 miles around each location. Neighborhoods in the Chicago area that will be eligible for the service include Tinley Park, Flossmoor, Harvey, Homewood, and others.

The FAA-approved MK30 drones developed by Amazon are capable of autonomous flight, avoiding obstacles and delivering packages to predetermined points chosen by customers. The cost of the service has not been set for the Chicago area, but in other regions, Prime members are charged an additional fee for drone delivery.

While many people are looking forward to the convenience and innovative technology, some have expressed concerns about noise levels and the proliferation of drones in residential airspace. Amazon is holding community meetings to address questions and demonstrate the technology. This is similar to the system Walmart uses in many areas currently. For more information on that, be sure to read my blog entry on that.

Source:https://aeroxplorer.com/articles/amazon-prime-air-prepares-to-launch-revolutionary-drone-delivery-across-chicago-suburbs.php