Amazon Prime Air has begun delivering packages via drone in the US – Picture and sound – News

Amazon has started delivering orders by drone in the US on a small scale. The Amazon Prime Air delivery program operates in two cities in the United States of Texas and California.

Residents of Lockeford and College Station can sign up for the service, he writes Ars Technique. After placing an order, a delivery time is given, after which the drone has to deliver the ordered package to the customer’s garden at the appointed time.

The locations were chosen by Amazon for the pilot due to their population, airspace, and favorable location. Lockford has a population of approximately 3,500 and is located southeast of the California city of Sacremento. College Station has a population of over 120,000 and is approximately 100 miles from Houston. The ultimate goal is to expand the service to more cities.

Last June Amazon announced the pilot. Two months later, the company received approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to use drones for package delivery. The maximum payload for drones is 2.2 kg. Amazon says 85% of its shipments fall under that weight, wrote Bloomberg in April.

Amazon uses a hexagonal MK27-2 delivery drone with six propellers. At present, the company mainly focuses on safe transit. The drones fly autonomously and use algorithms to avoid obstacles like power lines and smokestacks, while Amazon employees keep an eye on deliveries.