New Amazon drone

Jeff Wilke à re:MARS 2019. © Jordan Stead / Amazon.

At Amazon’s re:MARS Conference in Las Vegas, the retail and cloud giant unveiled a new drone design, the Prime Air, able to fly up to 25 km and deliver packages weighing up to 2.25 kg in under 30 minutes. The new drone is capable of identifying static and moving objects. To detect static objects like chimneys, it uses various sensors and advanced algorithms, such as multi-view stereo vision. For moving objects, like paragliders or helicopters, it uses proprietary computer-vision and machine learning algorithms. The drone is also able to find potential landing areas clear of obstacles thanks to its AI, which can detect people and animals from above. Jeff Wilke, of Amazon, said that the drone’s greatest challenge is to detect wires, such as the clotheslines, telephone wires and electrical wires that adorn many North-American backyards.

Amazon drone. © Jordan Stead / Amazon.

⇨ Amazon blog, “A drone program taking flight.”

⇨ IEEE Spectrum, “Amazon’s new Prime Air drone features a weird tailsitter design.”