Amazon Files Patent for Airborne Warehouses

[engine]

Amazon has a patent for airborne warehouses where airships would deliver products to warehouses. Drones would also be used for the next phase of delivery to users.

In the documents detailing the scheme, Amazon said the combination of drones and flying warehouses, or "airborne fulfilment centres", would deliver goods much more quickly than those stationed at its ground-based warehouses.

Also, it said, the drones descending from the AFCs - which would cruise and hover at altitudes up to 45,000ft (14,000m) - would use almost no power as they glided down to make deliveries. Amazon Files Patent for Airborne Warehouses [bbc.co.uk]

[keyplyr]

Amazing, the possibilities are almost endless. Just hoping I don't get hit by a falling forklift.

[engine]

I worry about all the material that's going to be flying above our heads, and those that might decide it's worth capturing.
Package tracking is going to become interesting on flight radar! ;)

[toidi]

For every packing that comes down, one has to go up to keep the inventory supplied. So, the cost savings of the drone traveling down is lost in restocking. There will have to be humans on board regardless of how many robots used so the humans will have to be rotated.

warehouses are zoned into areas where they are mostly out of site for many reasons, the same will happen with these things. We won't be seeing warehouses floating over any cities for the same zoning reasons plus more currently unthought of reasons.

There was a big article in our paper about it and it is being talked about by the media. This is the kind of advertising that works because the public doesn't even realize they are seeing advertising. Even the media doesn't realize they are being duped into supply free advertising. You can't buy this kind of PR and all it cost was whatever the patent cost.

Anyone remember the google barge and all the hype it received?