Amazon unveils smaller delivery drone that can fly in rain

New drone, dubbed MK30, will go into service in 2024 and replace the existing MK27-2

Amazon.com Inc. unveiled a new delivery drone on Thursday that’s smaller, makes less noise and can fly through light rain, the latest effort to get the troubled and long-developing project off the ground.

The company has spent nearly a decade pursuing founder Jeff Bezos’ vision of autonomous drones that can deliver a package weighing less than 5 pounds as little as 30 minutes after a customer places an order. Beyond speeding delivery times, drones could significantly cut the cost of delivery which still mostly requires a person driving a vehicle to someone’s home.

The new drone, dubbed MK30, will go into service in 2024 and replace the existing MK27-2, the model that will be used to make deliveries in Lockeford, California, and College Station, Texas, this year. The new unit has a longer range, can fly in a wider range of temperatures and has new safety features, Amazon said.

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Amazon’s Project Kuiper plans to launch prototype satellites in early 2023

Project Kuiper is a satellite system that aims to provide fast, affordable broadband, making Amazon another competitor against SpaceX’s Starlink service.

By Stephanie Condon

Amazon is getting closer to launching Project Kuiper, a satellite system that aims to provide fast, affordable broadband to customers globally. But before it can actually deploy its large-scale satellite constellation, Amazon has to test different elements of the satellite network in space. 

To that end, Amazon announced Wednesday that it’s working with the company United Launch Alliance (ULA) to send two prototype satellites into space. The satellites Kuipersat-1 and Kuipersat-2 will be completed later this year and will hitch a ride on the first flight of ULA’s new Vulcan Centaur rocket in early 2023.

Amazon initially planned to send its two prototypes into space on ABL Space Systems’ new RS1 rocket, which has been beset by delays

The prototype mission will help Amazon learn how the different pieces of its satellite network work together, supplementing its on-the-ground testing with real-world data from space. “We’ll use findings from the mission to help finalize design, deployment, and operational plans for our commercial satellite system,” Amazon said in its release. 

Launching the prototypes on Vulcan Centaur gives Amazon the added benefit of using the same launch vehicle that will deliver some of the first production Kuiper satellites. ULA is slated to provide 47 launches for Amazon’s Kuiper satellite constellation. 

“Using the same launch vehicle for our prototype mission gives us a chance to practice payload integration, processing, and mission management procedures ahead of those full-scale commercial launches,” Project Kuiper VP Rajeev Badyal said in a statement. 

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AMAZON WILL LAUNCH DRONE DELIVERY FOR CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS WITH PRIME AIR ELIGIBLE ITEMS

By Cortney Drakeford

Some California residents will begin receiving their Amazon deliveries from drones later this year.

On Monday, Amazon announced it plans to use drones for customer deliveries in Lockeford, California. The move will mark the first time the e-commerce company will use drones to deliver packages to customers in the United States.

The Amazon drones will deliver packages to the backyard of  Lockeford, California residents. The area is located around 40 miles south of Sacramento.

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Amazon secures 83 rocket launches to send Project Kuiper internet satellites into space

Overhead of the New Glenn rocket from Blue Origin, one of the three heavy-lift launch providers Amazon selected for Project Kuiper (featuring a mock-up of the Amazon logo).

By Kate Duffy 

  • Amazon said it has secured 83 rocket launches for its satellite internet service, Project Kuiper.
  • It has agreements with rocket firms Blue Origin, ULA, and Arianespace to fly the satellites to space.
  • “Amazon is investing billions of dollars across the three agreements,” a Project Kuiper spokesperson said.

Amazon announced on Tuesday that it has secured a deal for up to 83 rocket launches over a five-year period to send its Project Kuiper internet satellites into space.

In a press release, Amazon said it has signed agreements with space services firms Blue Origin, United Launch Alliance, and Arianespace to use their launch vehicles to carry satellites into orbit for its Project Kuiper, a broadband service that will offer internet connectivity from space and aims to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink service.

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Amazon is opening a real-world clothing store with high-tech fitting rooms


By Annie Palmer

  • Amazon is launching an apparel store, called Amazon Style, the company announced Thursday.
  • The first location, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Glendale, California, will open later this year.
  • Amazon has experimented with physical retail formats in grocery and books, but it has never sold clothing or shoes at those stores.

The stores will feature women’s and men’s apparel, shoes and accessories from a mix of well-known and emerging brands at affordable prices.Amazon

After upending brick-and-mortar retail, Amazon is opening a clothing store in the physical world.

The first Amazon Style store, located in the Los Angeles suburb of Glendale, California, will open its doors later this year, the company announced Thursday.

The store will feature women’s and men’s apparel, shoes, and accessories from a mix of well-known and emerging brands, with prices catering to a wide range of shoppers.

“You’ll find everything from the $10 basic to the designer jeans to the $400 timeless piece,” Simoina Vasen, managing director of Amazon Style, told CNBC. “We want to meet every budget and every price point.”

At roughly 30,000 square feet, the retail space is around the size of a typical T.J. Maxx location, but smaller than the average department store.

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Electric Cargo Planes: The Next Stage Of Amazon’s Delivery Transformation

Flying cars, also known as electric air taxis, have been around us for a long time thanks to sci-fi staples such as “Back to the Future” and “The Jetsons.” But with major brands like Boeing (NYSE:BA), Airbus (OTCPK:EADSF), Hyundai, and Toyota (NYSE:TM) now promising to whisk riders through the skies in flying taxis and receiving a heady dose of Wall Street endorsement, the dream is increasingly getting closer to reality.

Indeed, many experts are now upbeat that air mobility over short distances is closer to becoming a reality than ever before in history, thanks mainly to massive advancements in battery technologies and autonomous flight. And make no mistake about it: Flying taxis have real potential to completely restructure public and private transportation, decongest our roads, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

In fact, a Morgan Stanley Research study says the autonomous urban aircraft market will continue to mature during the current decade and then boom globally to reach $1.5 trillion by 2040.

This year, we have witnessed two electric aircraft startups go public: Joby Aviation Inc. (NYSE:JOBY), which went public in August, and Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE:ACHR), which was listed in September, both via SPAC deals.

And, it appears there’s no shortage of electric aircraft companies in the IPO pipeline: Amazon and UPS-backed Beta Technologies have developed Alia, an electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, or “eVTOL,” helicopter-like aircraft that can take off and land without runways.

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Amazon’s cashierless ‘Just Walk Out’ tech is coming to Whole Foods stores

Grab your kombucha or coconut chips and just… walk out. 

By Steve Dent

After launching it in Go stores and then bringing it to larger Fresh supermarkets, Amazon’s cashierless “Just Walk Out” tech will soon arrive in two Whole Foods locations. The service, which lets you pick up goods from shelves and (yep) just walk out, is coming to new stores in Washington DC and Sherman Oaks, California next year, the company announced. 

“By collaborating with Amazon to introduce Just Walk Out shopping at these two Whole Foods Market stores, our customers will be able to… save time by skipping the checkout line,” said Whole Foods co-founder John Mackey. 

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Amazon 2nd Gen Echo Frames feature open-ear audio and hands-free access to Alexa

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The Amazon 2nd Gen Echo Frames feature open-ear audio and hands-free access to Alexa. This smart eyewear allows you to discreetly make calls, set reminders, retrieve the news, listen to podcasts, and much more. In fact, you can also customize which notifications you receive to filter the important content.

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Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin venture fleshes out plans for 2023 cargo delivery to the moon

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An artist’s conception shows the human landing system that’s being developed by Blue Origin and its industry partners in the foreground, and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon cargo lander in the far background. (Blue Origin Illustration)

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture is working on a landing system that could put astronauts on the moon by as early as 2024 — but it’s also keeping its options open to deliver a ton of cargo to the lunar surface a year before that.

Blue Origin’s chief scientist, Steve Squyres, outlined the current state of plans for an Amazon-like cargo delivery to the moon today during a virtual symposium presented by the University of Washington’s Space Policy and Research Center.

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‘Future of last mile delivery’: Amazon reveals first custom electric delivery vehicle built with Rivian

Amazon is lifting the hood on one of three custom-designed electric delivery vans it built in partnership with Rivian.

 The new vehicle is 100% electric and features various technology such as sensor detection, exterior cameras that provide 360-degree views, Alexa voice integration, and more.

“We combined Rivian’s technology with our delivery logistics knowledge, and the result is what you see here-the future of last mile delivery,” Ross Rachey, director of Amazon’s Global Fleet and Products, said in a blog post.

Rachey noted that Amazon is working to build technology that supports physical charging infrastructure and “enhancements and optimization of our delivery stations.”

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Amazon One lets you pay with your palm

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Amazon wants its palm recognition technology in stores, stadiums, and office buildings

Amazon is unveiling its own palm recognition technology today that will be used initially to turn your hand into a personal credit card inside the company’s physical retail stores. Amazon One uses the palm of your hand to identify you, using a combination of surface-area details like lines and ridges, alongside vein patterns to create a “palm signature.”

At first, this palm signature will be used in Amazon’s own Go stores in Seattle, and the company also plans to add Amazon One to other Amazon stores in the coming months. Amazon One usage will eventually extend beyond just palm-based payments. “We believe Amazon One has broad applicability beyond our retail stores, so we also plan to offer the service to third parties like retailers, stadiums, and office buildings so that more people can benefit from this ease and convenience in more places,” says Dilip Kumar, vice president of Amazon’s physical retail business.

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Amazon Unveils a flying security drone

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A security drone is on the way from Amazon and it has more than few people asking questions about privacy. At the same time, tech enthusiasts seem to be pretty excited about this newest addition to the home surveillance marketplace.

Amazon’s smart home security division Ring has unveiled a new home security drone that will launch into the air and begin recording if it detects a suspected break-in. Dubbed the Always Home Cam, users will be able to access instantaneous streaming video once the drone launches.

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