Amazon Snags Patent For Delivery Van-Controlled Drone Technology

We may soon have drones to look forward to when we are waiting for our Amazon delivery packages.

Amazon announced this week that it has secured a patent for drone technology that can be paired directly with delivery vans.

If such a system becomes a reality, Amazon would be able to optimize on its last-mile delivery services by outsourcing much of the work to its automated drones.

The patent text reads: “Primary vehicles having cameras or other sensors generate or transmit instructions for causing secondary vehicles, such as personal delivery devices, to travel on
selected courses and speeds.”

It continues, “The primary vechiles capture and process images of other data to determine positions or orientations of the secondary vehicle to detect any obstacles, and to select courses or speeds for the secondary.”

The drones wouldn’t have to be decked out with expensive sensors and cameras. Instead all of that information-gathering technology would be centralized in the van, able to be transmitted to a fleet of drones via a WiFi or other network.

An Amazon spokesperson cautioned FreightWaves, “Like many companies, we file a number of forward-looking patent applications that explore the full possibilities of new technology. Patents take multiple years to receive and do not necessarily reflect current developments to products and services.”

The company actually filed for the patent just 18 months ago.

Disclaimer: We have no position in any of the companies mentioned and have not been compensated for this article.