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Amazon

Amazon will deliver packages in 30 minutes using drones

The drones, called Prime Air vehicles, will be as common as mail trucks, according to Amazon.

THE COMPANY ADMITS it looks like science fiction, but Amazon promises that it is very close to launching a new 30-minute delivery service using drones.

The technologies are ready, according to the Research & Development team, but the regulations need to catch up.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently working on a set of rules for the unmanned aerial vehicles.

Amazon believes that people will get as used to seeing its Prime Air drones in the air as they are about spotting mail trucks on the roads.

The timeline cited by the company would see regulations, rules and technologies in place in 2015.

(YouTube: amazon)

The goal for Amazon is to develop a delivery system that puts the new product in the customer’s hands within 30 minutes.

The FAA has concerns about safety, however, as the drones do not yet have the ability to sense and avoid other craft.

Read: Today will be the busiest online mobile shopping day of 2013

More: How to keep your social profiles safe and private

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60 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Darragh Mcnamara
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 9:21 AM

    Robots comin over here takin or jobbbssss..

    301
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    Mute Darragh Mcnamara
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 9:22 AM

    Our

    32
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    Mute DarthTempus
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 9:26 AM

    Der terk err jerrbbss

    168
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    Mute Fred O'Connor
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 9:29 AM

    Tkrrdurr!!!

    90
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    Mute Roberto Malcolmson
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 9:12 AM

    What if someone shoots it down? Free package :) imo this should be used for fast food deliveries…

    295
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    Mute David McShite
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 9:49 AM

    I was under the impression that internet delivers were already conducted by drones,

    54
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    Mute Nigel Kenny
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 9:54 AM

    It’d probably be easier to just hack the drone.

    37
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    Mute David McShite
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 9:56 AM

    On a serious note, this could become the delivery mode of choice for illegal drugs.

    143
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    Mute Murtaza Ali
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 1:13 PM

    That awkward moment when your Amazon delivery drone just hovers there, waiting for a tip

    161
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    Mute Jason Bourne
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 1:19 PM

    Tip with some 3in1 oil, job done.

    29
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    Mute gumbridge
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 2:56 PM

    Cue a massive increase in sales of catapults and possession of air-rifles among some of our more “disadvantaged” countrymen.

    42
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    Mute Mike Louw
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 6:37 PM

    :-))

    1
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    Mute Fearg Macd
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 7:53 PM

    Drones delivering to finglas will be black hawks

    26
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    Mute Jane Travers
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 9:13 AM

    I for one welcome our new Skynet overlords.

    127
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    Mute DarthTempus
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 9:25 AM

    DUNDUN DUN DUN DUN

    47
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    Mute Ciaran Burke
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 2:23 PM

    where is john connor when you need him? :D

    12
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    Mute THE VOICE
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 9:20 AM

    I have a PACKAGE i want delivered to the Dail…Bit chancey delivering myself….

    108
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    Mute jgrcb
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 11:07 AM

    Dun dun dun….

    12
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    Mute Denzil
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 9:25 AM

    Think I’d try capture the drone and keep it

    95
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    Mute jgrcb
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 11:08 AM

    And use it as your slave drone about the house delivering you the remote control?

    48
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    Mute thomas walsh
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 1:04 PM

    How do you get them the box back to them?!

    13
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    Mute DaVe O'm
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 5:08 PM

    GPS tracking

    4
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    Mute Little Jim
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 9:25 AM

    Great idea, unfortunately I can’t see many drones making it home.
    You can’t take your eyes off a locked bike without a three foot hoodie fecking it.

    84
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    Mute Gary Mason™
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 2:25 PM

    I have plenty of hoodies at home never has one tried to steal my bike

    37
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    Mute Little Jim
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 3:56 PM

    Do you have a 3 foot one?

    10
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    Mute Donal O Neil
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 5:24 PM

    Is ET back ?

    5
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    Mute Mikey ️
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 9:34 AM

    A good swift wind and it would be in Belmullet instead of Dublin.

    77
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    Mute OU812
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 9:23 AM

    Nice little PR stunt, but never gonna happen this side of the Atlantic, and even then, can you imagine a couple of hundred drones coming 5th avenue in NYC to drop off packages?

    Ready made cover for terrorist attack.

    72
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    Mute Tony Flynn
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 9:31 AM

    Someone is reporting The Onion as fact by the looks of it.

    57
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    Mute Richard Keogh
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 10:28 AM

    My first thought was is it 1st April but it comes from an interview Jeff Bezzos gave to CBS’s 60 minutes yesterday.

    19
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    Mute Fred O'Connor
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 9:44 AM

    Are the drones all gonna take off from Luxembourg for tax purposes?

    55
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    Mute Sacha Mahady
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 9:32 AM

    Perfect. If you you live in the penthouse. Or the ground floor. Or have a garden. The rest of us mere peasants will have to pick it up from the car park. Wait. That’s underground. The footpath it is so.

    50
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    Mute Conor Garry
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 2:20 PM

    “Lonely housewife gives birth to half human half Amazon delivery droid.”

    49
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    Mute Brian Donovan
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 10:57 AM

    How in the name of jaysus is it going to knock on the door?

    48
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    Mute Liz Crises
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 9:28 AM

    I had to check the date…this has got to be a late April fools joke?

    47
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    Mute jrbmc
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 9:30 AM

    What happens if your not in ????

    37
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    Mute Simon Barnes
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 5:11 PM

    its a 30 min delivery from when you order it. I’d say don’t order it if you’re not going to be around in 30 mins

    25
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    Mute Kevin Thornton
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 3:19 PM

    Love to see it delivering 32′ tv

    23
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    Mute Harry Webb
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 9:48 AM

    But what about birds? Will they be hit?

    23
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    Mute Bedwyr Owen
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 4:28 PM

    Not economically

    33
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    Mute Patrick Holohan
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 12:49 PM

    Be Gob Ha?? And they always said Garlic Bread would never catch on :/

    12
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    Mute Bedwyr Owen
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 4:29 PM

    Garlic? Bread!?!

    9
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    Mute Simon Barnes
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 5:12 PM

    It’s the future

    10
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    Mute Jho Harris
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 6:10 PM

    Our dogs are gonna love chasing a bloody drone

    8
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    Mute Jo Murphy
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 2:20 PM

    That video is hilarious! I really don’t see this working in Ireland. If we can’t have cigarette machines on walls outside pubs, how can we trust our lovely teen natives not to go drone hunting with a will?

    12
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    Mute Sidney Cooper
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 12:46 PM

    Can I order an air strike?

    12
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    Mute DaVe O'm
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 5:15 PM

    They are coming.
    http://www.ted.com/talks/andreas_raptopoulos_no_roads_there_s_a_drone_for_that.html

    Of course probably not in ireland as we’ll hit them with a takeoff and landing charge, green tax, deliveryman displacement charge, noise generation levy…… So instead of 24c per km it’ll be €2.57

    10
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    Mute Liz O'Neill
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 5:12 PM

    Michael O’ Leary is already making enquiries….

    8
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    Mute alanobrien
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 12:13 PM

    Feck off

    8
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    Mute Joe Traynor
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 3:16 PM

    Great publicity stunt , these things have a 15 minute flight time without carrying a payload. so Amazon can only deliver to anyone within 5 minutes of the depot if they want their drone back.
    Would be great sport shooting them down and robbing the packages though!

    7
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    Mute Stephen Devlin
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    Dec 3rd 2013, 1:22 PM

    Cant see this taking off at all .. (pardon the pun)

    4
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    Mute Adrian de Cleir
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 2:52 PM

    Once the novelty wears off I can see many people being irritated by these things all over the sky all the time (let’s not forget that if it works other companies will follow suit instantly).

    Between the noise and the sight of them I can see them getting very unpopular.

    4
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    Mute Kerry Blake
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 3:35 PM

    Guess we now know the reason why we are getting post codes.

    No need to sign for the package either. Hallo Amazon that package never arrived, you had better ask the pilot were he delivered it to.

    3
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    Mute Maurice Quille
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    Dec 4th 2013, 6:16 PM

    I have one of these. I use it for photography and hobby flying. Hate the word “drone” always reminds me of an Afghan attack Uav. Difficult to keep them flying, always some mad hooor out with a baseball bat or a shotgun.
    The iaa are beginning to capitalize on them. €2,000 for a license and insurance. Mad bastards.
    There’s a crowd in Dublin selling kits, quad, hex and octocopters.
    Google quadcopter Ireland.
    They’ll be busy as fuk for Christmas.
    Have the credit cards ready

    2
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    Mute $haun ⚓
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 4:58 PM

    Great PR stunt to put Amazon in people’s minds in the run up to Christmas. Looks like they took a leaf from Michael O Learys book!
    Great idea but can’t see those things withstanding harsh weather conditions.

    2
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    Mute Conor McHugh
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 2:25 PM

    Very close to launching? Saw an interview where Amazon was suggesting that it was 4 to 5 years away?

    http://www.zdnet.com/amazon-unveils-delivery-by-drone-prime-air-no-seriously-7000023795/

    2
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    Mute Bedwyr Owen
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 4:31 PM

    I thought the article said 30 minutes delivery?

    12
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    Mute Jo Murphy
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 10:12 PM
    1
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    Mute Louis Hoffman
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    Dec 4th 2013, 6:07 PM

    Pigs will fly first, pre Xmas free marketing ploy

    1
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    Mute Alan Costelloe
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    Dec 2nd 2013, 11:30 PM

    So what if you’re not there? What if a kid is playing and it lands on them or the rotors hit somebody or something? Great idea, but a lot of margin for error/disaster.

    1
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