Amazon makes first drone delivery to house in Cambridge

The success is a major step forward in Amazon's air delivery plans, which could ultimately result in the company phasing out land deliveries by people.

The short distance drone took 13 minutes to deliver an Amazon Fire TV and bag of popcorn to a customer from the moment of order. It brings Amazon boss Jeff Bezos' dream of a fleet of drones delivering packages one step closer to reality.
Britain became the first country where Amazon could test its delivery drones, part of Amazon Prime Air, after it won approval from the UK Government to lift flying restrictions.

As part of the agreement, the Civil Aviation Authority said Amazon could fly beyond the line of sighting rural and suburban areas, run tests on the drones' sensors and allow pilots to operate more than one vehicle at a time.

Amazon's custom-designed prototype drones, unveiled last year, can take off and land vertically. They fly in a similar way to planes over distances of up to 10 miles at an altitude of 400 feet.
The technology has been designed to deliver parcels that weigh up to 2.27kg for flights that take 30 minutes or less.

As part of the trial, they will operate seven days a week in the area around the fulfillment centre in Cambridge. However, they are restricted to travelling during daylight hours and are unable to fly in some weather conditions.

Delivery by air is free for Amazon customers living within several miles of the company's facility in Cambridge. The company ultimately plans to expand the use of the unmanned flying vehicles in multiple countries as regulators soften their rules.

The news comes after Just Eat delivered its first take away meal with an autonomous in Greenwich at the beginning of this month. If both companies' trials go well, the pavements and skies could be filled with delivery technologies.