Yahoo Finance Amazon Delivery Drone Can Travel 15 Miles
Amazon has unveiled a new hybrid delivery drone that can travel up to 15 miles at high speed.
In a new video released by the online retail giant, one of its drones is seen landing on a designated spot in someone's back garden.
A flap underneath the drone opens up, and a package is deposited on the lawn.
Amazon says the drone can fly around obstacles thanks to built-in safety features - an attempt to appease regulators who are generally resistant to the idea of drone delivery.
The prototype is an octocopter, meaning it has eight propellers allowing it to take off and land vertically like a helicopter.
It (Other OTC: ITGL - news) also has wings and a pusher motor so once it reaches the recommended altitude of 400ft it can travel like a plane.
This gives it the 15-mile range which Amazon hopes could revolutionise delivery.
In a promotional video, Jeremy Clarkson outlines how the ambition is for packages to be delivered within 30 minutes.
Customers will receive a message when the drone is hovering overhead, so they can prepare for the arrival of the package.
Draft regulations drawn up by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) say that flying beyond the line of sight is not permitted.
However Amazon says semi-autonomous flight in designated air corridors is the only way its system could work.
