--- title: "Amazon’s Drone Delivery Is a Dismal Failure That Can Only Carry a Single Can of Soup" description: "After a decade of drone dreams, Amazon's \"Prime Air\" drone delivery service seems to still be barely functional." date: "2023-11-06" modified: "2023-11-06" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/amazon-drone-delivery-fail" categories: - "Drones" - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "Amazon" - "delivery drones" - "drones" - "the digest" --- # Amazon’s Drone Delivery Is a Dismal Failure That Can Only Carry a Single Can of Soup ![After a decade of drone dreams, Amazon's "Prime Air" drone delivery service seems to still be barely functional.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Zoom Out After a decade of drone dreams, Amazon's autonomous delivery service seems to be barely functional. As the [*New York Times* reports](), the mega retailer is still only delivering via drone in two cities, and even those who use the service say that it's more like a nifty toy than a useful delivery option because of its many limitations. The company's drones can only carry small items that are five pounds or less and that can survive a 12-foot drop, the *NYT* reports. Even after meeting those standards, the drone deliveries are hamstrung by environmental factors as well, including rain, wind and heat, the latter of which is an issue for College Station, Texas, where Amazon drones are a regular sight. Amazon also requires there to be no cars anywhere near a dropoff point, meaning customers frequently have to move their cars out of their driveways, and they're required to put down a large target that the flying robots are said to often miss. Customers are also required to be physically present to accept the deliveries, not only to avoid porch pirates but also because sometimes, items will roll into the street. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjkPZLjGQmo ## Wants vs. Needs According to Dominique Lord and Leah Silverman, who were early adopters of Amazon's "Prime Air" service and offered $100 as a promotion to use it, these restrictions make it difficult to actually get anything they need. Instead, they get free stuff sent to them by drone, like a single jar of peanut butter, a can of soup, or Listerine breath mints — all of which come in giant boxes that dwarf the products inside. "We don’t really need anything they offer for free," Silverman told the *NYT*. "The drones feel more like a toy than anything — a toy that wastes a huge amount of paper and cardboard." All these restrictions make Amazon's drone service seem like more trouble than it's worth, and you'd be forgiven for forgetting that in the early 2010s, CEO Jeff Bezos promised a delivery revolution via the technology. In November 2013, Bezos took to "[60 Minutes]()" to show off Amazon's "octocopters." "I know this looks like science fiction," the CEO said. "It's not." Although he admitted the technology would take "years" to roll out properly, so little progress has been made in the ensuing decade that it's almost surprising the company announced last month that it plans to [add cities in the United Kingdom and Italy]() next year to its two-town Prime Air roster that includes College Station and Lockeford, California. If the program does expand across the pond, it may be difficult to deliver to the [famously-wet UK](). **More on Amazon:** [*Madman Sells "Energy Drink" Made From Amazon Delivery Drivers' Pee... on Amazon*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()