A patent issued to Amazon addresses methods by which a drone could signal its approach, as well as techniques for signalling back. In a video, released recently, Amazon drone engineer Michael Ramirez says the company is working with more than a dozen different drone configurations.
“A property owner may be alarmed or confused when a UAV approaches the property,” the inventors say. The patent covers the following-
- The drone and its control centre could send status reports as texts to customers, or even show the drone’s approach on an online map. That’s what Amazon does with its Prime Now delivery service.
- Lights and speakers could be installed onto the drone to provide signals to customers. “The UAV may announce its arrival via the lights or via audio, such as by emitting a warning sound, a pleasant tune, or other audio,” the inventors say.
- A projector on the drone could shine a spotlight onto its intended drop zone, or flash a message or graphics to communicate with the package’s recipient.
- The drone might even execute a series of maneuvers to signal what it intends to do, like a figure-8 over its intended drop zone.
- An onboard pointer or other hardware could indicate that an obstacle has to be moved, or that a dog has to be put inside, in order for the delivery to be made.
- Customers at the drop zone could use predetermined hand signals or other gestures to identify themselves to a camera-equipped drone and tell the robot how to proceed.
Source: https://bit.ly/2LWZS0B