Well lookie what I saw at Walmart today...

[caseydog]

I was picking up a few things and parked next to this mini airport. I don't know if this will "take off" with shoppers, but I did get to see a few launches. They don't carry much, so you won't be able to buy much more than a can of beans or a few apples. I wonder when the first one will crash into somebody's house.

CD

 

[Aunt Bea]

Comic books or college?

 

[mseaglecook]

No way this will be a money maker...

Porch Pirates and Robbers will just grab the items as soon as the drone gets close to the ground. Too many dishonest people in the world for this to work.

 

[Andy M.]

No way this will be a money maker...

Porch Pirates and Robbers will just grab the items as soon as the drone gets close to the ground. Too many dishonest people in the world for this to work.

Simple solution: the drones will drop your package on the roof.

 

[caseydog]

No way this will be a money maker...

Porch Pirates and Robbers will just grab the items as soon as the drone gets close to the ground. Too many dishonest people in the world for this to work.

Not to mention there are places in Mississippi where those drones will be target practice.

CD

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Dron

No way this will be a money maker...

Porch Pirates and Robbers will just grab the items as soon as the drone gets close to the ground. Too many dishonest people in the world for this to work.

Drones can be armed, dontcha know!

 

[dcSaute]

various companies are touting self driving cars
SF has autonomous taxis - they run over and kill pedestrians
flying cars have been coming "next year" since the 1950's
drone deliveries are just another sci-fi fantasy that will not work out -
they will not drop on your doorstep - maybe in your front yard . . . if the wind gusts don't push them into your house . . .

 

[GotGarlic]

No way this will be a money maker...

Porch Pirates and Robbers will just grab the items as soon as the drone gets close to the ground. Too many dishonest people in the world for this to work.

People still buy from Amazon even though thieves could follow the trucks.

 

[caseydog]

various companies are touting self driving cars
SF has autonomous taxis - they run over and kill pedestrians
flying cars have been coming "next year" since the 1950's
drone deliveries are just another sci-fi fantasy that will not work out -
they will not drop on your doorstep - maybe in your front yard . . . if the wind gusts don't push them into your house . . .

What I saw yesterday seemed to be test runs. It was very windy, and you could see the drones struggling. There's no way you could send them up on a day where there are storms anywhere in the area. Besides, like I mentioned, the little packages that hang off the drones are the size of a lunch bag. What can you deliver with that?

The Walmart near me is a bit different than what you'd expect. They have solar panels on the roof. Even the store items are not normal Walmart fare. The meat department has USDA prime steaks.

CD

 

[Aunt Bea]

I would hate to see the sky filled with drones delivering burgers and pizzas but
the experiments might pave the way, and bring the cost down, for the routine delivery of lifesaving supplies during an emergency.

 

[GotGarlic]

various companies are touting self driving cars
SF has autonomous taxis - they run over and kill pedestrians
flying cars have been coming "next year" since the 1950's
drone deliveries are just another sci-fi fantasy that will not work out -
they will not drop on your doorstep - maybe in your front yard . . . if the wind gusts don't push them into your house . . .

Why not on your doorstep? They can fly sideways as well as up and down, and they have cameras that can see obstacles as well as tables and floors.

 

[dragnlaw]

Are not these drones flown by real people who see thru the camera's??
or will they strictly be by AI's?

 

[GotGarlic]

Are not these drones flown by real people who see thru the camera's??
or will they strictly be by AI's?

It's not AI, it's good old-fashioned programming. With Google Maps or another mapping system, you can just plug in the address and send it on its way. Source: DH used to teach a summer program for kids with drones. Yes, they can be operated by people, but they can also be pre-programmed.

 

[dragnlaw]

Hope the programming can recognize flapping flag in the yard and/or the cat sleeping but still watching on the front porch.
Recipient would have to have a "safe" place for them to drop, no?
I'm sure they've thought it thru, has anyone read anything from Wal Mart about it?

 

[GotGarlic]

Hope the programming can recognize flapping flag in the yard and/or the cat sleeping but still watching on the front porch.
Recipient would have to have a "safe" place for them to drop, no?
I'm sure they've thought it thru, has anyone read anything from Wal Mart about it?

Drones have been around for several years and programming for several decades. Technology like this is often developed by the military first. Since government technology belongs to the public, anything that isn't classified generally becomes available for industry to use; that's how the internet came about: History of the Internet

I think Roomba robot vacuum cleaners have been around for close to a decade. This technology is well developed at this point.

I know people who have coolers on their porches to receive delivery of refrigerated produce from a local greenhouse company by subscription. I wouldn't be surprised if drones could be programmed to lift the lid with a finger-like device in order to open it.

 

[GotGarlic]

Interesting article about the details of drone delivery: Drone Delivery: Everything You Need To Know For Your Business In 2024

Drone delivery, often referred to as “drones delivery” or “delivering packages with drones,” is a method of transporting packages and goods using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) commonly known as drones. These drones are equipped with advanced technology, including GPS, sensors, and cameras, enabling them to navigate autonomously and precisely deliver packages to specified locations...

When you order something online, a small drone quickly collects your package from a nearby center. It smoothly flies over your neighborhood following GPS guidance. It then hovers near your home, leaves your package at your doorstep and goes back up to the sky. This is drone delivery’s vision: turning your doorstep into a delivery hub, offering a new level of convenience, and changing how we shop.

I think this is a great way to deliver medicine from a pharmacy. Meds are generally not very heavy.

 

[dragnlaw]

Goodness, not arguing the technology by any stretch. I bought a couple of drones for my sons at least about 20 years ago.
My understanding of Roomba is a "light bump technology"

typing while you were posting,... of course the drones would have to do as you say, not doubting that.
my question is more who is monitoring the cameras. GPS is fine, even street level views, I use them all the time. But I'm not sure how an AI would translate the camera view with the goal of delivery a pkg at the front door. And GPS also depends on the latest technology for updates. Which can be months old.

 

[GotGarlic]

Goodness, not arguing the technology by any stretch. I bought a couple of drones for my sons at least about 20 years ago.
My understanding of Roomba is a "light bump technology"

I was answering this: "Hope the programming can recognize flapping flag in the yard and/or the cat sleeping but still watching on the front porch."

Not sure what "light bump" technology means, but the programming for a device with wheels to wander around a space bouncing off the walls is basically the same as the Pong video game that came out in 1972. All they needed to do is add a vacuum to it (and a few safety details).

typing while you were posting,... of course the drones would have to do as you say, not doubting that.

I didn't even say anything about that.

my question is more who is monitoring the cameras. GPS is fine, even street level views, I use them all the time. But I'm not sure how an AI would translate the camera view with the goal of delivery a pkg at the front door. And GPS also depends on the latest technology for updates. Which can be months old.

Addresses in most places don't change very often. Front doors, stoops and porches look pretty much the same no matter where they are. The drones have GPS technology plus a camera plus wind, temperature and other sensors. I don't think someone would need to be monitoring every drone every minute it's flying. It could certainly be programmed to notify someone if it encountered a problem it wasn't already designed to handle.

 

[dcSaute]

Are not these drones flown by real people who see thru the camera's??
or will they strictly be by AI's?

some are piloted by remote control - (camera sends the pilot a "view")
and some are designed to be autonomous - program a GPS location, turn it loose.
eventually some will use AI to go to the GPS spot, then decide more precisely where to "drop it"
. . . just as soon as they can carry several hundred pounds of computer hardware . . . plus the payload . . .

my Garmin GPS recently sent me down a dead end street to the parking lot at a county park - which, btw, was not the address I put in. stories abound about drivers who have blindly listened to their GPS and driven into ponds, off piers, onto roads suitable only for tanks . . . .

 

[caseydog]

Why not on your doorstep? They can fly sideways as well as up and down, and they have cameras that can see obstacles as well as tables and floors.

That's what they CAN do, but not necessarily what they WILL do.

Dropping a package on a small front porch like mine would definitely require a person guiding the drone. Google Maps knows where my house is, but not where the front door is. Even with someone looking through a camera, one small move would be the difference between a successful delivery, and crashing a drone into my door or a brick wall.

Besides, what is the point of drone delivery is you still have to pay a human to control the drone? And, what's the point in drone delivery if it can only carry a couple of pounds?

Technology is not always perfect. Look at how many times spell-check on computers has changed the entire meaning of a sentence because it thought you spelled something wrong.

CD