Why Drone Delivery Will Be A Nightmare For Law Enforcement

It was a joke on 60 Minutes, even if a power source breakthrough was made to allow longer flights police surveillance of package delivery is the least of the problems with this idea. That's my story and I'm sticking to it, but looking no one else seems to agree.

I am reminded of the old rocket post delivery system, letters (those paper things with stamps) stuffed into a single stage rocket and fired at a target.

Same gimmick, different technology, same problems (legal, safety, reliability, cost, delivery system theft, etc).

A marketing ploy for the lazy, not something that will ever see wide spread implementation or change the world of product delivery.

_{Jack - News just in, drone theft increases 12,000 percent!}

Bring 'em on!

Drone hunters line up for Colorado town's 'license' ahead of vote ...

I've got a new automatic shotgun I've never shot.

'...I've got a new automatic shotgun I've never shot....'

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Lucky bastard! What is it? AA-12? USAS 12? H&K CAWS? S&W AS?

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What kind of legal hoopla did you have to negotiate to obtain it?

Sorry, I always neglect the "semi" when I talk about firearms, mainly because I've never owned a "full" auto in my life. Don't need one.

Nothing nearly that cool, just a Remington 11-87.

11-87 is a good tool. Certainly nothing to '' at.

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Though there are some situations in which something using a detachable magazine (e.g. Saiga 12 or Akdal 1919) might be preferred, I can't think of many situations in which a full auto provides much benefit beyond novelty/cool factor.

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Has anyone had the opportunity to fire anything using the bumpfire stock innovation? Any semi-auto shotguns with bumpfire stocks?

Enter the TSA.

However, expect a "handling" charge.

And a considerable delay in delivery.

Hey ya gotta go with the flow.....

I don't know if law enforcement is gritting their teeth.

Getting people used to having drones around, (by having them introduced through private sector deliveries), would be a great way for the government to eventually turn thousands, (millions?), of them loose. Nobody would even notice.

What a nightmare for EMS care flights that would be.

It would be a nightmare for everybody.

Imagine running out to your yard to get a, (drone), delivery, and it turns out that the drones are armed to the hilt, and the DHS got the wrong address on a tea par terrorist suspect.

I think the real issue is other aircraft negotiating a busy airspace that is below 500 AGL, where these things are supposed to dwell. Specifically emergency aircraft. Then there is all the electrical wires and obstruction towers that drones must navigate around. Currently, commercial/private aircraft use GPWS (Ground Proximity Warning System) that has a database of towers, tall buildings, and terrain elevation. However, it does not map out every electrical or utility pole and wires. That would magnify the database orders of magnitude.

I don't see the electrical wires and obstructing buildings as complicating the navigation of the drones to a degree that will cause additional hazard to emergency aircraft (emergency aircraft are much larger than drones and will be more physically restricted in flight than drones).

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I do understand your important point that the drones could present a significant hazard to emergency aircraft. It would make sense to have at least two independent safety systems required on drones that reduce the threat to aircraft. The first might be more sophisticated; something like an instruction to move away from the source of a particular frequency. While the second would be more drastic, such as landing or perhaps even cutting all power when a different air-attenuated signal is received.

They are two different unrelated issues. That was why I wrote. "then there is…"

Contact between a helicopter and a drone could result in a catastrophic loss of crew and passengers. That is but one danger.

Navigating drones through a maze of wires, towers, and even trees is another totally different problem.

I don't know what the plan is to mitigate these issues and others I have not even considered, but they are by no means trivial.

Not to mention the teenagers that will be using wrist rockets and BB guns to take the drones out.

Somehow I could see myself enjoying that hobby.

I share your concern over the danger to people in (or below) helicopters. The real risks to life and limb will require redundant, highly effective and robust systems to make sure the inevitable interactions are safe.

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I don't think navigating fixed objects like wires, towers or even trees present anywhere near the same level of challenge. The explosion of recent highly detailed maps and mapping technology, is certainly going to be leveraged to mitigate any difficulty avoiding fixed objects. I suspect there will be back-up systems that identify, record and avoid obstacles that don't show up on the latest map.

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Mapping and getting equipment (cruise missiles) to follow paths to destinations based on our maps, reliably even after significant alterations to the landscape, was mastered by a number of people in the US (and realistically by people in numerous other places as well, though this was a US strength, to be sure) several decades ago. While it is true that cruise missiles are more hearty than most rotor based UAVs, striking a tree, powerline or other structure that isn't the intended target wouldn't fit the definition of reliable. Coupled with 30+ years to improve maps, sensors and controls, tree avoidance is probably not on the list of pressing issues to solve prior to roll out.

There's also the logistics.

The best system is already in place. A UPS worker must be able to lift 70 lbs, starts his shift with a full truck, drives the same route every day, and returns with an empty truck. The energy expended, (per package), has been brought down to very little, and pretty darned efficient.

It will take one drone to deliver one package, the package has to be light enough to carry, and within range, otherwise it will have to be carried by truck and driver. They may be electric, but the total expended energy per package will be way higher than it is now.

Maybe they will be subsidized by the government. That would make it work.

By catering to convenience over efficiency this idea might subject itself to a fate similar to other ideas that have aspired to such folly.

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The personal automobile is more convenient but less generally far less efficient than mass transportation. What a fun idea that was.

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The plate is more convenient but less efficient than the trough (or even the head mounted face-feed-bag). Anyone remember having to wash each of those plates and associated tools ('utensils')?

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The convenience store, as its name suggests, played to convenience at the expense of efficiency. We can see what happened in that case.

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Take a good look at this phenomena. The average longevity of similar 'advances' suggests this won't last more than a few hundred years.

How is a drone going to be more convenient than a human handing me a package, on an overnight delivery, in my office building or apartment complex?

I'm not seeing it. Explain why it will be so much better.

What happens in gusty winds or a sudden downpour?

I'll sue if my package is late or damaged in any way.

I didn't say it would be 'so much better'. My suspicion is that marketing will focus on increased convenience and catering to the whims of an increasingly lazy selfish consumer populace.

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Why wait all day for that one time the mail comes? Why drive all the way to the store for that stick of gum? Does your lawnmower need a new air filter, but you want to have the lawn done before dark, and with traffic all your time would be taken up if you personally traveled to the store? Are you on time for a promising date, but forgot something important....flowers, raincoats, anti-cold-sore lip balm, or a full body condom? Are you in outside sales and have spilled coffee on your shirt and tie between appointments? Is it game night in the college town you live in but you would still live to receive a delivery pizza on the same date?

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Once again, I am not suggesting that this will be 'so much better', nor am I predicting that bad weather might have adverse effects. I am certainly not suggesting this will be a cure for the brainwashing that has people convinced the best solution for any problem is to complain of mental anguish and sue everyone within 7° of involvement.

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I'm merely suggesting that whether an item really is needed in the next few hours instead of tomorrow morning at the earliest, drone delivery might be preferred by a sizable chunk (speaking of gross numbers, not gross figures) of consumers.

I suppose.

It might work well for someone that's within 10 minutes of an Amazon warehouse, but most retailers have a good reason for keeping a lean inventory, and the item would have to come from a distant location anyway.

I don't see this idea "taking off" anytime soon.