Casual Bystander Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/aug/29/google-joins-amazon-in-testing-home-delivery-drones So Amazon are planning to use drones to deliver packages. Am I the only one to see a fairly obvious flaw here? Setting aside the privacy element (the drones will have cameras on them thus potentially recording everything they fly over, including perhaps your house and garden, without your consent) any kid with an air rifle will be able to take a drone out of the air and steal the goods it's delivering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen Archer (Raconteur) Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/aug/29/google-joins-amazon-in-testing-home-delivery-drones So Amazon are planning to use drones to deliver packages. Am I the only one to see a fairly obvious flaw here? Setting aside the privacy element (the drones will have cameras on them thus potentially recording everything they fly over, including perhaps your house and garden, without your consent) any kid with an air rifle will be able to take a drone out of the air and steal the goods it's delivering. Alternatively, you could order a CD and steal the drone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supras Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 It's a publicity stunt. Just like it was the last time they mentioned it - before Christmas coincidentally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamthebam Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 There's an Amazon distribution centre is just outside of Dunfermline. And I don't like the idea of Fifers being armed with rocketry to be honest... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
We Are Pars Fans! Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Never happen, like u say people will just steal the items. Surely they won't get to just fly thousands off wee drones around? Also what about strong winds? Pylons? Etc. as mentioned, all a publicity stunt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForzaDundee Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Always find it funny how people are so quick to rubbish ideas. Personally I think it's obvious that a system like this will be normal in the future. We can't keep travelling around in energy gusling vehicles forever. The security/privacy issue is a non-starter. Anyone could buy a cheap quadcopter already and film what they want. Also annoying how luddites are so quick to lash out at things like Google Glass. Fucking idiots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForzaDundee Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Never happen, like u say people will just steal the items. Surely they won't get to just fly thousands off wee drones around? Also what about strong winds? Pylons? Etc. as mentioned, all a publicity stuntFrom an economic and enviromental point of view flying thousands of wee automatic drones is surely better than having humans drive thousands of heavy metal boxes on wheels (cars).Strong winds? They'd obvously be engineered to cope with all weather conditions. Pylon? Obviously they wouldn't fly them near pylons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casual Bystander Posted August 30, 2014 Author Share Posted August 30, 2014 I should point out I have nothing against using drones. If used sensibly. The security/privacy issue is a non-starter. Anyone could buy a cheap quadcopter already and film what they want. Well, no, you can be arrested for serupticiously filming people without their permission if they are on private property. Say for example you get a drone, stick a camera on it and fly it over your neighbours garden and film them. They are fully entitled to call the police and report you. Obviously if you are in on the street or in a park or other public locations then that's not an issue. This would also be a global organisation doing it, whether it's Google or Amazon. We already have lots of CCTV cameras in this country but those are public bodies who should be open to scrutiny in how they collect and use the data. No private firm would need to adhere to such regulations. Also annoying how luddites are so quick to lash out at things like Google Glass. Fucking idiots. I am far from a Luddite, however Google Glass is a huge privacy risk as they have already developed face recognition software for it meaning you can basically be geo-tagged by someone you don't know, without your consent, and have that data disseminated or stored again without your knowledge. Data mining is already a big business. That's not some tin foil hat comment, it's also not really the point of the thread, as you can see from the OP, but GG can be beneficial but privacy needs to be tightened up. Anyway, bypassing the discussion about privacy, the thing I find funny is the thought of a gang of kids in a park waiting for drones to fly past delivering their goods and taking them down with a .22 air rifle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fotbawmad Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Would I be able to order a ballistic missile, and send it by special delivery to an alternate address Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vikingTON Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Always find it funny how people are so quick to rubbish ideas. Personally I think it's obvious that a system like this will be normal in the future. We can't keep travelling around in energy gusling vehicles forever. As opposed to, erm, drones and other flight transport, which consume far more energy per good than any other method of transport. And always will. because flight is far more energy consumptive than movement along land, or, as the real innovation is bound to be, 3D printing instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jock001 Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 VT trying to be a smartass and failing again. Someone should point out to him that planes go faster in the air than on the ground because flying is more energy efficient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dorlomin Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Someone should point out to him that planes go faster in the air than on the ground because flying is more energy efficient. They go faster because there is no rolling resistance but they require high speeds to get off the ground and air resistance quadruples for every doubling of speed. To offset this they fly high enough that there is less air and it is cold so you get a more efficient engine. But these advantages are for aircraft travelling hundreds of miles not just a couple, you would not get high enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topcat(The most tip top) Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Miniature Robot Blimps are the future trust me people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jock001 Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 They go faster because there is no rolling resistance but they require high speeds to get off the ground and air resistance quadruples for every doubling of speed. To offset this they fly high enough that there is less air and it is cold so you get a more efficient engine. But these advantages are for aircraft travelling hundreds of miles not just a couple, you would not get high enough. Still, even at medium level, flying is more efficient. As you say One has rolling resistance and air resistance to overcome, one only has air resistance to overcome. Yes you need to get an aerofoil moving fast enough to create enough lift in the first place but the smaller the aircraft, the easier this becomes. At low level it becomes even more efficient thanks to ground effect. The need to produce less lift means less drag too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgecutter Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 I for one am outraged that I can make out features of my garden on Google Earth/Maps without giving anybody my consent. >_> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topcat(The most tip top) Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 As for the cost effectiveness of drones and miniature blimps the real question isn't about drag coefficients, cruising velocities and the likes. An aerial point to point service like a drone or a blimp is a replacement for a motorcycle courier as opposed to replacing a space on a van and it loses the economies of scale in a roughly similar way. The delivery round is not going to be replaced by hundreds of individual round trips but for people who absolutely need their stuff right now and are willing to pay extra for it and live close enough to a depot autonomous aerial delivery may be the better way to provide what they need.than getting a bike and rider across town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsr Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 Do they deliver stuff down your chimney or what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz FFC Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 Do they deliver stuff down your chimney or what? Only on Xmas morning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 As for the cost effectiveness of drones and miniature blimps the real question isn't about drag coefficients, cruising velocities and the likes. An aerial point to point service like a drone or a blimp is a replacement for a motorcycle courier as opposed to replacing a space on a van and it loses the economies of scale in a roughly similar way. The delivery round is not going to be replaced by hundreds of individual round trips but for people who absolutely need their stuff right now and are willing to pay extra for it and live close enough to a depot autonomous aerial delivery may be the better way to provide what they need.than getting a bike and rider across town. What about a large blimp or airship that could carry and deliver hundreds or thousands of parcels? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsr Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 What about a large blimp or airship that could carry and deliver hundreds or thousands of parcels? Would it be pulled by reindeer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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