Lets skip the issues with liability for now.
What about the freaking weather? As it is, a person delivering to your door would put it under the porch out of the rain presumably. This thing would not have that capability. Unless its remote piloted.
I predict delivery to a central location and dispatch delivery from there.
I think folks are missing some fundamental aspects of the business model.
If you need the item
that fast you’re gorram well going to be home to receive it. “Leaving packages out in the rain” or for theft isn’t really going to be a concern. I suspect the Amazon app on your smarty-phone, or Google-Underwear will have all sorts of beeps-whoops, and “Press Yes to Confirm” activity going on as the drone closes in.
Although as time goes on and if point-to-point drone service proves more economical than trucks/humans, I think MechAg’s idea of a standardized drop-basket on the rooftop etc. has merit.
Worrying where the drone will leave the package is to a degree like wondering why anyone would ever deliver pizza, because it would be cold when you got home. Although the idea of being at work/home to get deliveries is going to start falling to the wayside as well. One can already consider forward-thinking people who get lunch or dinner deliveries at hotels, or parks...
Besides pointing out that this is Amazon’s way of competing with the immediacy of brick-n-mortar stores now that they’re losing the sales-tax advantage, I wonder if commoditized 3D printing being just over the horizon is pushing this as well. Get the printers working in a few more materials than just plastic, and even the idea of “delivery” is obsolete.
