Amazon Prime Air: Octocopters Unveiled for Delivery within 30 minutes

| Updated: Monday, December 2, 2013, 15:51 [IST]

Amazon, the world's largest online shopping destination, plans to use "octocopter" mini-drones to fly small packages to consumers within a half hour.

The company posted a demo video of the tiny robotic devices that could make ultra fast delivery on the same day itself. With the help of mini-drones, consumers will get their purchased items in just 30 minutes, informs Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos.

The ambitious project by Amazon is yet to get certification from federal approval. Amazon's "Prime Air" would be a reality in another 4 or 5 years.

We can do half-hour delivery... and we can carry objects, we think, up to five pounds (2.3 kilograms), which covers 86 percent of the items that we deliver." , informs Jeff Bezos

Amazon Prime Air: Octocopters Unveiled for Delivery within 30 minutes

The mini-drones are powered by electric motors and could cover areas within a 10-mile (16-kilometer) radius of fulfillment center. These robotic machines can cover significant urban areas.

Companies have short life spans... And Amazon will be disrupted one day," he said.

They operate autonomously and drop the items at the target locations thanks to GP..

"We're excited to share Prime Air - something the team has been working on in our next generation R&D lab.

The goal of this new delivery system is to get packages into customers' hands in 30 minutes or less using unmanned aerial vehicles.

Putting Prime Air into commercial use will take some number of years as we advance the technology and wait for the necessary FAA rules and regulations" , as per the official press release

Check out the video of Amazon Prime Air here