Amazon Prime Air begins delivering packages via drones in the US | Technique

Residents of Lockeford and College Station can sign up for the service. After placing the order, the delivery time is determined, after which the drone must deliver the ordered package to the customer’s garden at the specified time.

Both locations were chosen by Amazon for their population, airspace, and convenient location. Lockford has a population of approximately 3,500 and is located southeast of Sacramento, California. College Station has a population of over 120,000 and is about 100 miles from Houston. Ultimately, the goal is to systematically expand the service to more cities.

Last June, Amazon announced the start of the project. Two months later, the tech giant received approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to use drones to deliver packages. The maximum payload of the drone is 2.2kg. Amazon says 85 percent of its shipments fall under that weight, Bloomberg wrote in April.

Amazon uses a MK27-2 hexagonal drone with six propellers. At present, the company mainly focuses on safe transportation. The drones fly autonomously and use algorithms to avoid obstacles like power lines and chimneys, while Amazon employees monitor deliveries.