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New Patent Expands Amazon Drone Plan

October 19, 2016 by Jason Reagan 6 Comments

Amazon Drone Patent
Source: U.S. Patent Office

When we think of Amazon and drones, we think of airborne delivery.

But with a new patent awarded to the retailer on Tuesday, Amazon wants to expand UAV technology, making drones smaller, lighter, cheaper and responsive to voice commands.

In the company’s patent application, Amazon envisions “techniques and systems” that would allow drones (among other functions) “to provide enhanced support for police during routine traffic stops [or]  to locate objects or people including, for example, locating a lost child in a crowd or a lost vehicle in a parking lot.”

Specifically, the drone system would provide a method for controlling a UAV with simple voice commands “to perform one or more tasks, least partially autonomously, to assist the user.”

The patented UAV system would include a tiny, pocket-sized drone equipped with image-recognition software and a voice-recognition module (similar to Amazon’s Alexa system). In diagrams, the drone is shown perched on the shoulder of a police officer ready to autonomously film a traffic stop or other situation to provide accountability and security for both officer and suspect.

Amazon explains in the application:

“In other words, the UAV can act as eyes and/or ears, among other things, for the user to extend the user’s perception. The UAV may be used, for example, to record information from a perspective different than the user’s perspective, scout dangerous situations, or locate/retrieve items for the user, among other possible tasks. In some examples, the UAV can be small enough to carry on the user’s person (e.g., in a bag, in a pocket, on a jacket, etc.) and allow for ready deployment.”

Personal safety could also play a role in consumer’s attraction to the voice-assisted drone. “In situations in which a user feels uncomfortable or in danger, such as walking down a city street at night, the UAV may act as a deterrent to potential attackers, provide piece of mind, and, worst case scenario, document the crime for police,” the application states.

The company’s patent would cover proprietary new processors on board the drone or would rely on a central control to perform cloud processing to free up the UAV from the heavy computing load.

Amazon’s interest in the drone industry has sparked a number of high-profile media reports beginning with its initial plan to offer drone delivery service (despite flying into plenty of red tape).

In September, the company added another patent to its drone arsenal – a plan that would “combine drones with trucks, allowing the drones to ‘hitch rides’ on the roofs of their own – and other -trucks and buses.”

Jason Reagan
Jason Reagan

Jason is a longstanding contributor to DroneLife with an avid interest in all things tech. He focuses on anti-drone technologies and the public safety sector; police, fire, and search and rescue.

Beginning his career as a journalist in 1996, Jason has since written and edited thousands of engaging news articles, blog posts, press releases and online content.

Email Jason
TWITTER:@JasonPReagan

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Subscribe to DroneLife here.

Filed Under: News, Technology Tagged With: Amazon, amazon patent, Drone Patent

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  1. Amazon Drone Supply: A Temporary Historical Past Of The Patents, Issues And Progress From The DRONELIFE Archives says:
    June 20, 2022 at 11:11 pm

    […] as drones “hitching rides” on trucks and floor automobiles to increase their vary: and a fascinating idea for voice-controlled drones.  There was a patent to protect delivery drones, and the “secret” patent for airborne, […]

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  2. Amazon Drone Supply: A Temporary Historical past of the Patents, Issues and Progress from the DRONELIFE Archives - euro-journal says:
    June 20, 2022 at 6:14 pm

    […] as drones “hitching rides” on vans and floor automobiles to increase their vary: and a fascinating thought for voice-controlled drones.  There was a patent to guard supply drones, and the “secret” patent for airborne, blimp-like […]

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  3. Amazon Drone Supply: A Transient Historical past of the Patents, Issues and Growth from the DRONELIFE Archives - Drones4Blazers says:
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  4. Amazon Drone Supply: A Temporary Historical past of the Patents, Issues and Progress from the DRONELIFE Archives – AI Drone says:
    June 20, 2022 at 4:02 pm

    […] described as drones “hitching rides” on trucks and floor autos to increase their vary: and a fascinating idea for voice-controlled drones.  There was a patent to protect delivery drones, and the “secret” patent for airborne, […]

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  5. IPblog | Intellectual Property Law in Canada » Drone Patents says:
    January 4, 2017 at 12:05 am

    […] example, to drone manufacturers. For instance, Amazon’s newest issued patent relates to a mini-drone to assist in police enforcement. Think of a traffic stop which is accompanied by the whine of a small pocket-sized drone that can […]

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  6. New Patent Expands Amazon Drone Plan | Drone, UAV, Quadcopter a Multi Rotor News says:
    October 19, 2016 at 6:48 pm

    […] post New Patent Expands Amazon Drone Plan appeared first on […]

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