Amazon Drones: Delivery in 30 Minutes for $1

Amazon Drones: Delivery in 30 Minutes for $1

by | Jun 18, 2015 | Air | 0 comments

Amazon Drones: Delivery in 30 Minutes for $1 Unmanned Cargo Delivery Concept – Chronicle 04 Amazon Drones Could Deliver Packages for Just $1, Study Suggests (April 10, 2014) (Editor’s Note: Making the business case for implementing a commercial delivery drone system) What the Article Chronicles: New York based ARK Investment Management has quantified how much a same-day drone delivery would cost compared with delivery truck and couriers. Given the 400 million annual shipments Amazon makes to US customers, an initial investment of $130 million to cover drone cost and support infrastructure and a budget of $350 million annually to cover operating expenses, Amazon would break even after the first year of operations. As the chart below shows, a similarly sized packaged would cost 8-13 times more for much longer delivery times. Although payload would be limited to 5 pounds (2.3 kg), this is of no consequence as approximately 86 % of all orders shipped by Amazon weigh less than this. Official UGV / Drone Name: Amazon Prime Air Companies Involved: ARK Investment Management Amazon What are your thoughts on ARK’s cost forecast for unmanned cargo delivery drones? Comment...
Autonomous Freight Truck in the U.S.

Autonomous Freight Truck in the U.S.

by | Jun 16, 2015 | Land | 0 comments

The Daimler Fully Automatic, Driverless Freight Truck Unmanned Cargo Delivery Concept – Chronicle 03 World’s First Unmanned Unmanned Freight Truck to Barrel Down America’s Highways: Meet the Fully-Automated ‘Inspiration Truck’ (May 06, 2015) (Editor’s Note: The Daimler Freightliner Inspiration Truck is the first licensed autonomous commercial truck to operate in American highways) What the Article Chronicles: The Freightliner Inspiration Truck has a Level 3 autonomous vehicle operating system that enables the driver to cede full control of all safety-critical functions under certain traffic or environmental conditions. Using cameras and radars, as well as lane stability, collision avoidance, speed control, smart braking and intelligent steering systems, this autonomous freight truck can stay within the proper highway lane and legal speed limits as well as maintain a safe braking distance from other vehicles, thus allowing it to safely slow down or stop as traffic conditions change. In certain situations (such as when the truck exits the highway, drives on local roads or attempts to dock at a warehouse) the driver is always in control. The Inspiration Truck also showcases Daimler’s platooning technology. When “Highway Pilot” is turned on, two or more properly equipped trucks can use vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology to automatically reduce the gap between them to about 25 feet (7.6 meters),  locking them into platoon formation thus using up to 6 percent less diesel than when trucks are traveling by themselves. A very detailed review of all the highlights, innovations and amenities of the Daimler Freightliner Inspiration Truck can be found at the TopSpeed website by clicking here. Official UGV / Drone Name: Daimler Freightliner Inspiration Truck Mission: To improve fuel consumption, reduce...