Amazon has patented an airborne fulfillment center that uses drones to deliver items to consumers on the ground.
We recently added patent data to the CB Insights platform, and have uncovered some pretty wild ideas put forward by tech giants.
Yesterday, Zoe on our team spotted this patent from Amazon using our patent search engine. Yes — it looks like Amazon is trying to create a flying warehouse. It was granted a patent for an “Airborne Fulfillment Center” (AFC), “an airship that remains at high altitude,” with UAVs delivering items from the AFC to delivery locations.
Then Nikhil and Zoe went further into the Amazon patent rabbit hole on CB Insights and spotted this patent about a drone mesh network that alerts all other drones about their surroundings.
Amazon’s not just considering flying airships for drone bases. They’re also looking at multi-use stations that could be set into buildings, cell towers, or lamp posts.
And then they uncovered this patent detailing a defensive measure if the drone is attacked. Of course, the drone is being attacked by someone with a bow & arrow. According to the patent, the drone would cover itself in a protective foam that absorbs kinetic energy if it is compromised. Got that?
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