Amazon Inc. is looking to use drones for more than just delivering packages. The online giant also wants to provide surveillance services to customers through the use of drone devices. A patent for this use has been granted to Amazon by the Patent and Trademark Office of the United States.
The patent describes a scenario where delivery drones will be used to perform surveillance on the property of owners who give their consent for this duty to be performed. The drones will record video of the property that can be scanned for broken windows, fire, or a number of other safety threats.
The use of drones for surveillance purposes has caused more than a few people to express concerns pertaining to privacy issues for property owners who do not consent to surveillance. Amazon has specifically addressed many of these concerns.
The surveillance capabilities of the drone are limited by geo-fencing. This technology is used to draw boundaries in the virtual world around the properties that are being surveilled. Images taken by the drone can be edited when they are captured or processed after the image is captured. There are also physical restraints that can be placed on the drone to prevent it from capturing images of unauthorized homes and buildings.
The patent application was filed by Amazon in 2015 and was given to the e-commerce giant in early June.
Earlier this month, Amazon said it will demonstrate the ability to deliver packages to customers in thirty minutes or less.
Amazon has obtained patents for many ideas in the past that are yet to be seen by the market. Among these ideas include a floating airship that would warehouse the goods drones will deliver, a system of communication that would permit drones to respond to both verbal and nonverbal commands from customers, and shipping labels that possess built-in parachutes.
Dil Bole Oberoi
