Amazon Starts Drone Delivery Trials in Cambridge, UK

[engine]

Amazon has said it's running a limited trial of autonomous drone deliveries to two customers in Cambridge, UK. It intends to extend this trial to dozens, and eventually hundreds of customers in the coming months, all within the drone trial area of several miles from the facility.

[amazon.com...]

[IanTurner]

I do think they will become target practice for every bored teenager in the area, if they become common place.

[billzo]

This is just a Christmas season publicity gimmick just like they did last year and I think the year before. It's priceless free publicity.

Imagine the legal liability if one of the drones fell out of the sky or dropped a package.

[engine]

That is true, Ian Turner, and anyone else who's house it flies over. I understand that its a criminal offence to shoot them down, so someone could end up in hot water.

[IanTurner]

Yes I know that is illegal - but I wonder if people will do other things to stop them flying over their property such as sending up tethered balloons with anti-drone netting and such like.

[keyplyr]

Here in the States, there was a guy on TV who said he was training hawks to intercept drones and retrieve packages.

Of course he was on TV, so if that happens, we'll know who was behind it.

[engine]

Someone was flying a drone about a quarter mile away and I could hear the sound of the drone very clearly. It was one of the better drones, but having said that, it was quite audible.

If these become too commonplace it could change the mind of those that just see it as a gimmick, or something to be of no concern.

If the Amazon drones have a pre-programmed flight path they may be tougher to disrupt, whereas the radio controlled devices we see people using are probably much easier to bring down.

I've also seen demonstrations where a bird of prey was used to bring down a drone.