Amazon is trialing unmanned drones that could deliver products to customers within half an hour. The chief executive of the firm, Jeff Bezos appeared in a TV appearance showcasing the tiny ‘octocopters’, which could be in operation in the US within five years.
"I know this looks like science fiction. It's not," Mr Bezos told CBS television's 60 Minutes show. "We can do half-hour delivery ... and we can carry objects, we think, up to five pounds (2.3kg), which covers 86% of the items that we deliver."
The project still needs to be tested for safety and pass Federal approval, but the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently working on rules for unmanned aerial vehicles, leading the company to estimate that Amazon Prime Air could be running by as early as 2015.