Amazon's delivery drones take flight in India

It seems Amazon’s futuristically sci-fi delivery drones will see some airtime after all, in India.

According to the Indian outpost for the American Ecommerce Goliath, Indian shoppers could see delivery drones as soon as India’s Festival of Lights, Diwali this October.

The drones were first presented on US news show 60 Minutes, were Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos showed off the small octocopter with intentions of shipping goods up to 5 pounds in as little as 30 minutes after purchase. Shortly after it was announced, the FAA grounded the program with new regulations regarding commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV).

Given there are no aerial restrictions in India, and Amazon recently establishing 2 large fulfillment centers in highly populated areas, the country seems like the perfect testing ground to try out the shipping innovation.

Drone shipments are planned for Bangalore and Mumbai, in close proximity to the fulfillment centers themselves. The drones themselves have a range of 10 miles, making it important that the shipping areas be close to Amazon’s warehouses. The drones are originally intended to serve dense and populated areas, making the choice of locations a baptism by fire of sorts.

What are your thoughts on Amazon’s autonomous shipping drones? Is it the future of online shipping or just a continuous publicity stunt? Let us know in the comment section below.

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