Amazon Releases New Prime Air Teaser

Amazon Releases New Prime Air Teaser

29 Nov 2015

By Nicole Carpenter

The development of Prime Air was revealed in 2013, but Amazon is now giving customers another look at its progress.

A prototype is being teased in a video posted on Amazon's FAQ page. The new drone is much more polished than the previous iteration and will weigh 55 pounds. Flying at under 400 feet, the drones will deliver your cargo—up to five pounds—in 30 minutes or less, says the online retailer.

Amazon notes that safety is the biggest priority for them, and so, there is no official release date. Prime Air will only be deployed when Amazon has the “regulatory support needed to safely realize [their] vision.”

As stated in the video, Amazon plans on unveiling a “whole family of drones,” with “different designs for different environments.” The service will be able to deliver to locations up to 15 miles from a warehouse.

The drones look to be part helicopter, part airplane. The Prime Air drone in the video lifts straight off the ground helicopter style, and, when it reaches an appropriate height, moves horizontally like an airplane. When it reaches its destination, the drone uses its “sense and avoid” technology to scan the area and find the designated landing zone. It'll drop off your package and fly back to the warehouse.

Amazon won federal approval to fly drones for research back in March.

It's too bad Amazon's drones are not ready for Cyber Monday—they have some great deals on a whole bunch of games. Check out IGN's Cyber Monday hub for a huge list.

Nicole is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @sweetpotatoes.

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