When Jeff Bezos went on
60 Minutes and mentioned that Amazon was experimenting with delivery drones,
we knew it was only a matter of time before other companies revealed
similar plans. And, one day later, sources at UPS have told
The Verge
that the delivery giant has its own unmanned flying couriers in the
lab. Publicly, the company is largely keeping silent, saying only that
"the commercial use of drones is an interesting technology and we'll
continue to evaluate it." But Ryan Calo, a law professor specializing in
drones, isn't afraid to speculate about what the program might look
like. While he doesn't rule out Amazon's ambitious vision of an
octo-copter dropping a package at your doorstep, he believes the first
versions will be much more limited in scope. For example, he foresees a
company like UPS using the self-piloted vehicles to move packages from
airports and major cities to more remote pickup points. It wouldn't be
quite as convenient as having a robot bring your family's Christmas
gifts to your home, but it would certainly speed up delivery while
keeping the cost in check.
It would hardly be a surprise if UPS
beat other delivery firms and Amazon to the punch on this one, as it
invests quite heavily in R&D. According to a spokesperson, "UPS
invests more in technology than any other company in the delivery
business, and we're always planning for the future." That's hardly a
surprise coming from the company that already offers 3D printing services at some of its retail locations.
Source: The Verge
