Watch out Amazon! The United Arab Emirates (UAE) government is planning to use high-tech drones to deliver official documents and packages within a year.Hailed as the "first project of its kind," the battery-powered quadcopters are slightly smaller than a Parrot AR.Drone 2.0. The drones could deliver small-sized packages such as "identity cards, driving licenses and other permits," according to Reuters.
Security is one thing that delivery drone systems will have to overcome. The UAE plans to tackle the risk of its drones getting intercepted by equipping them with fingerprint and retinal scanners. Theoretically, package recipients will need to prove their identity by using those two methods of authentication. If the UAE government is really serious, it'll require both, for extra security — a kind of two-step authentication, if you will.
The other challenge the drones will have to overcome is the region's extreme heat and crazy sandstorms. Without a self-righting fail-safe system onboard the drones, the program could end up a failure with serious risk to public safety.
The UAE's drone delivery system isn't quite ready to fly yet. A trial period will take place in Dubai over the next six months before the program is rolled out to the UAE. Whether delivery drones are BS or not, the UAE is taking a stab at making the them a working reality.
Via Reuters
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