Online shopping revolution? From clicking "Buy" to your door in 30 minutes - via flying robot drone

[Gee Whillickers]

Yes, Amazon is planning on using automated flying robot drones to deliver packages by 2015.

From the time you click the "buy" button to your doorstep in 30 minutes.

Just watch out for the neighbourhood kids with slingshots...

Oh c'mon! What could possibly go wrong?

http://mashable.com/2013/12/01/amazon-unveils-flying-robot-delivery-drones/

[DesDownunder]

err, will there be air traffic control involved?

I can see the headlines now, Amazon said that the group hit by a delivery drone were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Safety has always been important, but you can't expect commerce to shut down just because a few people get treated as if they are a target.

[Merkin]

It's always been my deepest suspicion that the reason commercial jets spend so much time sitting and waiting to take off or to land is to clear the runways for the UPS and the Fedex carriers.

[Gee Whillickers]

It's not just maliciousness that makes me wonder how they're going to overcome all of the hurdles I can immediately see in this plan.

What about trees, power lines, fences, weather, stopping people from stealing your package - this is like an advertisement to the whole neighbourhood after all, "Look! Cool stuff to steal at Gee's place!!" I could go on. I suppose all of these are solvable problems, but I can't help wondering how feasible this really is.

[Merkin]

Perhaps the packages could be set to detonate unless you enter your personal code, acquired at the purchase point.

[Cole Parker]

Don't we have enough people already out of work! No, I guess not. Let's lay off all those guys wearing brown uniforms and driving brown trucks.

If enough people don't have jobs, then there won't be a need for deliveries 'cause no one will be buying anything.

C

[The Pecman]

Very well-said, Cole. Not enough people are asking: "well, wait a minute -- won't these unmanned drones put delivery drivers out of work?"

And I can think of quite a few neighborhoods in LA where those drone copters wouldn't last five minutes if they got anywhere near somebody's front porch.

[Camy]

Much more fun than shooting clay pigeons!