{"id":17675,"date":"2019-01-11T20:47:24","date_gmt":"2019-01-12T01:47:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mdpair.com\/amazon-secretly-testing-delivery-drones-in-english-countryside\/"},"modified":"2019-01-11T20:47:24","modified_gmt":"2019-01-12T01:47:24","slug":"amazon-secretly-testing-delivery-drones-in-english-countryside","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mdpair.com\/?p=17675","title":{"rendered":"Amazon secretly testing delivery drones in English countryside"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amazon has been captured secretly testing delivery drones.<\/p>\n

The US online giant has kept its programme under close wraps, barring release of a video clip in 2016.<\/p>\n

But the Mirror recently snapped test flights at a base in the Cambridgeshire countryside.<\/p>\n

The company, which insists it aims to use drones to deliver packages in 30 minutes, has refused to allow journalists access to the test site.<\/p>\n

In 2013 boss Jeff Bezos \u2013 the world\u2019s richest man \u2013 predicted drone deliveries within five years saying: \u201cI know this looks like science fiction, it\u2019s not. Could it be four, five years? I think so.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will work and it will happen and it\u2019s going to be a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

But that deadline has passed and the airlifts have yet to get the go-ahead in any country.<\/p>\n

The drones can be spotted in fields <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A major stumbling block is safety with fears over what happens when the craft are out of sight of the operator and how they are able to avoid other objects in the sky.<\/p>\n

Drones are also under scrutiny after last month\u2019s shutdown at Gatwick Airport and this week\u2019s temporary closure of Heathrow.<\/p>\n

It is likely that the engineers spotted by the Mirror are working to ease fears over safety concerns, as well as work on battery life.<\/p>\n

Amazon engineers have not allowed journalists access to the testing facility <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One expert said: \u201cIf you have to recharge them every other hour, then you need so many drones and you have to orchestrate that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Civil Aviation Authority said Amazon was yet to apply for approval of the technology.<\/p>\n

It added: \u201cThe law says you can\u2019t operate a drone beyond the line of sight of the person controlling it.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Miya Knights, co-author of a book on Amazon, believes its drones are not marketing hype, as some have claimed.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cAmazon drones are potentially a very good way of cutting delivery costs.\u201d<\/p>\n

The firm has kept its work with drones under close wraps <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Miya believes they are more likely to be used in less built-up areas.<\/p>\n

She also questioned whether people would want drone drop-offs, and thought they could be theft targets when they land.<\/p>\n

Another fear is that an army of drones will do away with the need for delivery drivers, with huge job losses.<\/p>\n

Miya said: \u201cI don\u2019t see that happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another expert said humans also had an advantage over machines: \u201cThey know where customers live and which doorbell to ring. To program that in IT is not that easy and not cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n

A drone can be spotted taking to the sky <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Amazon already uses robots extensively in its warehouses to move products around. The company claims that they are not designed to replace human workers.<\/p>\n

Other experts insist drones in general will be big business.<\/p>\n

Barry Jenkins, director of counter-drone strategy at the Drone Major Group consultancy said: \u201cBy 2030, it will be worth 628,000 jobs, there will by 76,000 drones in the air, it\u2019s a \u00a342billion industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Amazon insists it is serious about its drone delivery programme, saying: \u201cOne day, seeing Prime Air vehicles will be as normal as seeing mail trucks on the road.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read More<\/h4>\n

Top news stories from Mirror Online<\/h3>\n