Europe1 .fr with AFP 11:46 a.m., June 14, 2022
In California, Amazon is preparing to launch its drone delivery service called Prime Air.
With the aircraft capable of carrying shoebox-sized packages, packages could arrive within 30 minutes of ordering.
This service should be available in 34 sites by the end of the year.
Amazon plans to launch its drone delivery service, dubbed Prime Air, in California this year.
A mode of transporting goods on which start-ups and large groups, such as Walmart, have been working for years.
The e-commerce giant plans to take practical tests in Lockerford, a Californian city, the group announced in a statement on Monday.
"Later this year (...) residents will be able to register to be delivered by drone for free", indicates Amazon, without further details on the date.
The company is still awaiting the green light from the authorities.
Consumers will be able to choose "between thousands of everyday products" that will be dropped by the drone in their garden.
Their feedback should be used to improve the service, which Amazon hopes to scale up to "meet the needs of customers everywhere".
Perfectible technology
The group says it created a dozen prototypes before arriving at a model that can identify and avoid obstacles, both static and moving, from chimneys to other aerial devices and pets.
"Most drones don't have this capability...and require spotters to help them avoid risks.
They can be deployed fairly quickly, but are still limited to a small radius of operation," says Amazon. Prime Air drones will be able to carry up to five pounds (2.3 kg) of products in a package the size of a a "big shoebox", and travel up to 24 km, according to a spokesperson for the group contacted by AFP.
Delivery in record time
At the end of May, the American retail giant Walmart announced the expansion of its drone delivery service, planning to make it available in 34 locations in the United States by the end of the year.
The drones will be operational in six American states (Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Utah and Virginia) with the possibility of reaching up to four million homes and ensuring more than one million deliveries per year, had specified the company.
Walmart customers will be able to order their goods between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. and, for a delivery fee of $3.99 (3.75 euros) per order, will have them delivered by airmail within half an hour. .
Each delivery from Walmart may weigh up to 4.5 kg.
Walmart, which seeks to position itself as the leader in this service, will use devices and technology from startup DroneUp.