Amazon Seeks US Exemption To Test Delivery Drones

angry tapir writes: Amazon.com has asked the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration for permission to test drones outdoors for use in its Prime Air package delivery service. In the run up to launching the service, which aims to deliver packages in 30 minutes or less, the online retailer is developing aerial vehicles that travel over 50 miles (80 kilometers) per hour, and will carry 5pound (2.3 kilogram) payloads, which account for 86 percent of the products sold on Amazon. They need to ask permission because the FAA specifically banned such behavior last month.

Why in America?

[gurps_npc]

Can't they just do the testing in Canada? Or some other country that hasn't created this law?

Seems like they are more interested in getting a foot in the door to revoke the rule, rather than testing.

Ballsy

[Dins]

Well that's pretty ballsy. "Yeah, we know you banned this with us in mind, but....can we do it anyway?"

won't work

[CosaNostra Pizza Inc]

With the amount of gun owners in this country AND the number of paranoid, conspiracy nuts here; how many of those drones will make it to their destinations?

Government control of our lives...

[mi]

They need to ask permission because the FAA specifically banned such behavior last month.

Gone are the days, when pursuit of happiness was understood as a natural right granted to each human being not by their government, but by the Creator.

Today one must get a permission to drive a car, carry a weapon, perform in costume [nymag.com], or, indeed, to fly a drone.

And this prohibition does not even come from Congress directly — having usurped so much control over our lives over the last century, they are simply unable to deal with the minutiae and are forced to delegate more and more of the rule-making to the Executive-run agencies — such as the FAA.

Promo stunt

[djupedal]

Amazon is just looking to get in on yet another news cycle. Maybe charlie rose is ready to fawn all over them again...

Re:Visualing this?

[Sockatume]

Given the accuracy of GPS, it'll probably wind up on your roof, up a tree, or down the chimney, which means it'll still be an improvement over Yodel.*

*Substitute infamously incompetent carrier for your region here.

I kid, but seriously, a mail order that's installing lockers and authorised delivery points every few hundred yards and seriously talking about flying fucking robots as an improvement in service is a damning indictment of the package delivery business.

Re:Government control of our lives...

[RobinH]

I thought the idea was that you had that right, but only up to the point where it infringes on someone else's right to the same. So, for instance, you being an idiot and driving your car over a pedestrian infringes on their right to the pursuit of happiness. You see, when it comes to behaviors that put others at significant risk, why only punish the ones who were unlucky enough to have the negative outcome actually happen, when the act of performing the risky behavior was what you had control over, and what you should be prevented from doing in the first place? Similarly, Amazon flying drones over residential neighborhoods sounds pretty risky to me, even though I do appreciate the coolness of being able to have something delivered in 30 minutes. Therefore I'm not sure this ban is such a bad thing until we can prove suitable precautions are being taken.

Re:won't work

[Billy the Mountain]

Yeah! An' an' a free three year stay in th' crowbar ho-tel!

Ballsy

[Anonymous Coward]

More like 'Yeah, we knew you were going to try this, and we're gonna block it until we get our bribe"

Re:We have to get away from instant gratification

[OhPlz]

What are you doing on Slashdot? Subscribe to a magazine that covers stories like this, write your letter to the editor and wait a month for a possible response. You're so impatient posting on a site where you can get near-immediate feedback. This nonsense needs to be shut down now.