Has Anyone Experienced Drone Delivery?

[tinsel]

Brad is right about the agricultural drones. Those things are amazing.
A company called "PrecisionHawk" was the first to get FAA permission to operate drones outside of the operator's "line of sight". That was just last year. It's a big step towards commercial drone operations becoming a daily routine.
Amazon is pushing for a nationwide air traffic control system for drones, to try and get to the point where they can really get their delivery service up and running full speed. They aren't joking about this stuff, it's GONNA happen eventually.
As an auto mechanic, I'm really looking forward to the day when a vehicle brings itself in for service, and then returns itself to the owner when service is finished. How cool would that be?

 

[toobfreak]

Just as an aside I found out the other day that the FAA considers the airspace all the way to the ground as "theirs." I always understood that you owned the airspace up to 200 feet over your house. But this aviation expert said that the FAA took it upon themselves to claim all of it, meaning that if someone flies a drone outside your bedroom window, there is nothing legally you can do. That is public airspace. You can't touch the drone which is considered an aviation vehicle.
I'm surprised they haven't claimed the air we breath yet! Oh wait, that's right, that is the property of the EPA.
At any rate, folks are fighting to get that 200 feet over your house legally designated as YOURS.

 

[warren]

Where, jurisdiction, is the air above your house considered to be part of the deed holding? Heck most people do not own their house, the lien holder does. Most people who do in fact own their own home are unaware as to who owns the water or minerals beneath the property.
I have certain rights insuring privacy by law. But, the air to a defined altitude? Nope, not in Alaska that I'm aware of anyway. Drones will cause some limits to enacted by various governments before long. Then we'll be complaining about the government, any of many, overstepping again.

 

[deathmetal]

You guys remember cell computing?
The idea is that many autonomous complete units are more effective than one big unit divided by function, in part because of a more graceful failure model.
This is what drones are. They are 1% of an airplane that will come to you, thanks to video game technology and cruise missiles showing us the way.
I am all in favor of this technology, but might add that simply wiring communities with small-track trains to deliver packages and the elderly might be more efficient and have less stuff screaming around the sky.
Your average drone has visual abilities, but not radar as yet. Soon they will need that to avoid each other. But then, they will be one more machine that is simply given instructions and let go.
You will get your packages more efficiently than if a human had delivered them, but you might miss sharing coffee and a cigarette with the UPS guy.
At least I will -- our UPS guy is awesome, and since they fired the incompetent pity hire, our postal guy is also.

 

[alexnorth]

What are the usps guys supposed to do for a living if everything is being delivered by drones?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

What are the usps guys supposed to do for a living if everything is being delivered by drones?

Go out to find all of the drones that good-O-boys have shot down.

 

[toobfreak]

Go out and get a job for half what you used to make working on the assembly line packing drones in boxes.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

...easier to set in duck blinds collecting free stuff from the air.

 

[toobfreak]

I get it! Shoot down the drones and take the packages they deliver! :clap: