Amazon has recently secured a patent for a drone design that would have the drone disassemble itself in an emergency.
How would it be able to do this?..
One worry that many have had with drone deliveries taking place in the future is the potential for them to be falling on people and causing a myriad of damage.
A previous FAA report does suggest that worries over such injuries might be overstated as they've found that smaller drone vehicles are less likely to cause damage if they were to fall directly onto your head; the drone itself would absorb most of the energy in the collision they say. Despite that however, many are still worried about the potential for things to go wrong.
It's suggested that this new drone design for Amazon, designed for midair self-destruction, will help it to land safely by enabling the drone to land in many small pieces.
In the event that something does go wrong, according to the recently secured patent, the drone would seek to scatter the pieces across a park and dump the package off into a nearby tree. The rotor would seek to drop onto a clear grassy area, the drone computer landing in the park as well, shell likely to end up in a nearby pond or water area.
Aside from seeking to design drones that self-destruct in many pieces like Amazon might be looking to create, other projects have also been looking to research disposable drones that can be used for delivery. Specifically, the US Marine Corps has been testing the use of disposable drones – mostly made up of plywood – to deliver supplies to various regions. And there are other projects as well, aside from the Marine Corps, that are also looking into disposable drone options.
The drone market is suggested to reach $21 billion by 2022.
Sources:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/12/01/amazon-designs-self-destructing-drones-split-apart-avoid-falling/
https://gizmodo.com/amazon-wants-to-protect-you-from-falling-drones-by-maki-1820913242
https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/1/16723190/amazon-self-destructing-drone-falls-apart-midair-patent
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/uav-drones-market-worth-2123-billion-usd-by-2022-2016-10-06-122033125
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