Photo credit: JORDAN STEAD / Amazon
Amazon Prime Air just debuted a new transforming unmanned aerial vehicle at the Re:MARS conference in Las Vegas. “We know customers will only feel comfortable receiving drone deliveries if the system is incredibly safe,” said Amazon’s consumer worldwide CEO Jeff Wilke. Unlike its predecessors, it comes equipped with thermal cameras, depth cameras, and sonar to detect hazards as well as obstacles. It also uses machine learning models to automatically identify problems and navigate around them. Read more for a video and additional information.
“The drone’s rotors are fully covered for safety, with the covers also serving as wings during sustained flight. It also has six degrees of freedom (compared to four for a normal quadcopter), which Amazon says allows for more dynamic and nimble flight. The tilting design allows for the drone to use the same six propellers to fly forward as it does for take off and landing. Packages for delivery are then carried in the fuselage in the middle,” reports The Verge.
