GPS enabled drones will soon be able to deliver goods and services to your home in a hurry.  There is a great deal of excitement surrounding delivery drones as the population anticipates a shift in the way we access goods and services. Every month HITECH shines a light on the technology of our future- this month’s Fireside Chats is on Delivery Drones.

Two of the United State’s biggest technology players, Google and Amazon, are racing for their drone programs to be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). If you’re skeptical of a future with delivery drone, the FAA estimates that by 2020, the US will have approximately 30,000 commercial drones in use.      

Governments around the world are doing their best to keep up with the evolving technology, but there is a considerable amount of technological lag- our laws simply haven’t progressed as quickly as this technology. Legislation is trying to close the gap but there isn’t a consensus on the best way to ensure the safety of the public and technological security of the drones.

Few technological breakthroughs have the visibility that delivery drones will have. It may feel like the first installment to a Jetsons lifestyle where robots are whirring around us, performing the tasks they were built to do. It will be many years before robots are able to replace our technicians, but drones will be dropping off your groceries before you know it.

References

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http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-34704868

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-34963684

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/oct/20/google-delivery-drone-project-wing