Prime Air, the super fast delivery drone program from Amazon, will see custom-made weather and environment-adapted unmanned aerial vehicles carrying packages weighing up to 2.3 kg within a 16 km radius of the depot. But how much will it cost? Amazon is yet to reveal that.

However, the online retailer has reported that they are developing multiple versions of the drones, which weigh around 25 kg, which will deliver within 30 minutes of placing the order and are made to suit various weather conditions. However, this is all in favour of the U.S.A. – for now:

Our customers in the United States live in hot, dry, dusty areas like Phoenix, but they also live in hot, wet, rainy environments like Orlando, or up in the Colorado Rockies.

Likewise, obviously, our customers live in a wide variety of buildings. Some live in rural farmhouses, some live in high-rise city skyscrapers, and then everything in between, in suburban and exurban environments. We want to be able to serve all of those customers. And it may take a different kind of a drone to best work in each one.

The Amazon Prime Air squad now consists of aeronautical engineers, roboticists and a former NASA astronaut.

It is very real. These folks are completely focused on making this a reality — and demonstrating that it is safe before we begin operations.

Amazon isn’t the only company racing to create a drone-based delivery service.

So how will they deliver to high rise building, you ask? They’re creating a special drone which is yet to be revealed.

[source: huffingtonpost]