FAA regulations prevent use of drones for delivery
Despite lobbying by Google and Amazon, the use of drones to deliver moderately heavy loads remains a contentious issue. US regulators have not yet cleared the way for drones to be used in all commercial environments, in order to comply with the regulations, users must not let the drone leave their line of sight. This means that the use of drones as a method of delivery is almost impossible in urban environment where the line of sight will inevitably be blocked.

Delivery drones hit regulatory snag

by Mike Price

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Drone technology is seeping into many industries, with safe shopping online arguably set to be the biggest beneficiary of the influx of airborne machines capable of carrying moderately heavy loads.

Major companies including Google and Amazon have invested a great deal of time and money into creating drones which will make it possible to send out items ordered online to customers within a given area, all without the need for a human delivery person to make the journey. But there are many regulatory hurdles to overcome, especially if semi or fully autonomous drones are to be adopted for this purpose.

Now the Guardian reports that US regulators have impeded the process still further by allowing commercial drone flights to go ahead, provided that the drone itself is always in view of an operator.

In short, it will be impossible for drones to operate in urban areas where the line of sight to a drone will almost certainly be obscured. And indeed this was the motivation behind the regulations; the authorities feel that it is not yet safe enough to allow drones to roam the skies of towns and cities.

This kind of regulatory entanglement is one of the reasons that many major retailers and distribution companies are looking away from the US and instead turning to the UK as the best place to test and ultimately roll out drones as a means of delivery for safe shopping online.

British regulators have been a little more amenable to drone technology and so British consumers may be among the first in the world to experience the benefits and potential pitfalls of drone delivery.

Weight limitations remain the greatest hurdle, but the idea of being able to get items delivered to a secure location without having to be in to receive them is certainly appealing.