WASHINGTON: Amazon has unveiled a new hybrid delivery drone that can fly both vertically, as a helicopter capable of landing in customers’ backyards and horizontally like a conventional plane. The drone can travel up to 15 miles at high speed.
The hybrid is conceived as the prototype workhorse for Amazon Prime, the futuristic delivery service that aspires to carry purchases to customers within 30 minutes of an order.
The retail giant hopes that safety features built into the vehicle, including “detect and avoid” sensors that Amazon says allow the drone to fly around obstacles, will overcome concerns from government regulators some of whom have proven resistant to the idea of delivery drones and customers.
