The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has given Amazon’s Prime Air drones the go-ahead to deliver new categories of devices, including products with lithium ion batteries like iPhones, AirPods, and more, Amazon has announced. The company says those product categories can be shipped to your door within 60 minutes — if you’re in one of the eligible delivery areas in Arizona or Texas, that is.
Amazon writes that it recently streamlined its drone deliveries. The new process includes Amazon giving you a delivery time with a five-minute window on either side, and customers no longer having to go outside and put a QR code on the ground.
The first time you order one of these drone drops, you’ll pick from one of the predetermined-to-be-eligible delivery zones on an aerial picture of your house. Amazon will use the same spot from then on, assuming it’s clear, until you change it. The drones drop packages from about 13 feet in the air, so it’s a good idea to keep your pets or kids inside during the delivery window. At the moment, drone deliveries are only available in College Station, Texas, and in the West Valley part of the Phoenix, Arizona metro area, and only when the weather is favorable.
The deliveries come via Amazon’s new MK30 drones, a key part of the drone delivery program the company has been working to get off the ground for over a decade. MK30s are limited to 5-pound packages, but they can fly farther than the drones it used previously, and can even handle light rain. Last year, Amazon managed to get FAA approval to fly its drones beyond the visual line of sight of its operators, greatly expanding where it can actually make its deliveries.
