The patent diagrams show plans for shuttles (illustrated as mini-blimps) that ferry people, product, and potentially fuel from the ground to the mother ship. If all goes well, the AFC might not need to return to the ground to stock up on hot air or helium. But it seems the “extended period” is meant to last as long as possible: Hovering above most flight paths, the patent says, means the blimp is out of the way of air traffic and can hypothetically stay in the sky until it runs out of fuel. Like a floating aircraft carrier for drones, the “airborne fulfillment center” (AFC) is meant to remain in the sky for “extended periods of time”-though the company doesn’t indicate whether that means days, weeks, or years. In its patent paperwork, Amazon describes a massive vehicle that hangs out above the range of a commercial airplane at 45,000 feet. If the patents tell the whole story, here’s what the world will look like.Īmazon’s blimps hover above commercial air traffic, while Walmart’s hang out just below the Empire State Building. “Amazon and Walmart already control the blimp market,” your piece starts. A new pastry startup called “Pie in the Sky” has just launched its first blimp, and you’re an internet commenter looking to prove it’s just another VC-funded bad idea full of little more than hot air. We’ve got another grueling presidential election in the rearview mirror, and self-driving Ubers are the new normal. Still, let’s imagine for one second that it’s 2022. And both patents contain disclaimer paragraphs starting with “those skilled in the art,” paragraphs that read as appeals to the patent readers to understand that not every detail has been ironed out. Walmart, for example, doesn’t even appear to have decided whether or not its aircrafts will have pilots. They’re full of “mays” and “mights,” and both companies have included language that indicates their blimps could range quite a lot in size, capacity, and altitude. Also, these patents aren’t really meant to be taken literally. In the US, the regulatory environment may present some serious hurdles that amount to more than-sorry-blimps on the radar. ![]() The Federal Aviation Authority doesn’t currently allow drones to be launched from planes, or even to fly over people. Most of us won’t be getting drone-delivered Amazon- or Walmart-branded steaks for awhile, though. The shroud unfurls, accordion-style, to bounce a package through its inner walls for the several feet of its journey. And there’s some indication that Amazon’s even further along than you’d think: Last week, the Puget Sound Business Journal reported the company has received a patent for the spookily titled “delivery shroud,” a veil that descends from a drone once it’s hovering over your doorstep. It’s basically a giant blimp.īut the company is more than a full year behind Amazon, which patented its own drone-housing zeppelin in April of 2016. “While we initially thought customers would use the service for emergency items, we’re finding they use it for its sheer convenience, like a quick fix for a weeknight meal,” Guggina wrote.Walmart’s proposed drone blimp will be filled with helium, hot air, or a combination of gasesīloomberg reports that Walmart has applied for a patent for “gas-filled aircrafts and methods of dispersing unmanned aircraft systems in delivering products.” In plain English: a drone-launching warehouse in the sky made up of a gas chamber, a propulsion system, and a bunch of built-in parking and launching spots for individual drones. The company didn’t say which stores are getting the service. ![]() The expansion will bring the drone delivery option to 34 hubs in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Texas, Utah and Virginia by the end of the year, with the potential to reach 4 million households, according to the post. “DroneUp has been a reliable partner as we’ve tested this solution and their capabilities will enable our business to scale with speed while maintaining a high caliber of safety and quality,” David Guggina, Walmart senior vice president of innovation and automation, wrote in a post on the company website. ![]() The operations are managed at the hubs by certified pilots within Federal Aviation Administration guidelines, the company said. Walmart said it has completed hundreds of deliveries across existing DroneUp hubs in recent months. The service is a partnership between Walmart and DroneUp, an on-demand delivery provider. Waymo announces plans to begin driving at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
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