You might be closer to getting your Blu-ray Discs and other lightweight products much quicker, as Amazon has made it’s first commercial drone delivery to a customer in the U.K.
The purchase, an Amazon Fire TV player and a bag of popcorn weighing 4.7 pounds, was delivered within 13 minutes to the customer in Cambridge. Of course, delivery time via unmanned aerial vehicles will depend on having a drone distribution center close by.
As it stands, Amazon is able to offer the service to customers within 5.2 square miles around a small fulfillment center in Cambridge. And although there is a 5-pound weight limit (sorry, but your 40-pound back of dog food will still be arriving by truck), Amazon says 87% of the items sold on Amazon are within the weight limit.
Amazon’s Jeff Bezos tweeted this morning, “First-ever #AmazonPrimeAir customer delivery is in the books,” boasting the successful launch of the service that will operate seven days a week during daylight hours, as long as weather permits.
The service, called Amazon Prime Air, is a shipping option Bezos hopes to bring to more markets in the near future. He says the company is working with regulators and policymakers in other countries to make Prime Air a reality for more customers.
You can check out some videos of the drones in action on this Amazon web page.
