In April 2016 Amazon also filed for a patent for blimps stocked with drones to make extra speedy deliveries. In the same year Amazon made its first drone delivery in the U.K. in December with plans to expand the service to dozens of customers near its British facility in the near future.
Currently Amazon has been granted a patent for a shipping label with a built-in parachute, designed for drone deliveries. The label “includes a parachute to enable the packages to be dropped from the aerial vehicle, yet land at the package’s destination without damage,” according to a patent dated Tuesday from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Amazon said its system could include a self-adhesive backing, parachute cords with shock absorbers and a breakaway cover. It could also adjust to a package’s size or even have multiple parachutes for larger or heavier items.
Amazon also received a patent for a method to guide packages released from drones to the ground safely. The document said the company’s drones would use magnets, parachutes or spring coils to release the delivery in mid-flight. This indicates that Amazon would release packages from the sky rather than landing a drone in a front yard, which requires more time and energy.
