Following news of an incredible holiday season, Amazon was awarded a patent that will allow for floating warehouses.
Amazon has won a patent that is will presumably decrease shipping times. Labeled as a “airborne fulfillment center (AFC),” the e-commerce giant will use airships to house products.
Basically, the AFC will flow in altitudes of 45,000 feet or higher. Amazon shoppers will then be able to receive the products through the airborne fulfillment center. This is a major advantage for Amazon. The company is constantly working on decreasing shipping times in order to remain competitive. With AFC, Amazon could supply the high flying warehouse to hold items and a drone will ship the products to customers.
In the company’s patent description Amazon explains that the AFC can remain airborne for long periods of time. Moreover, the AFC is not limited to similar warehouses that are located in a facility. Furthermore, an AFC can travel to different areas depending upon demand making it an easier to transport products.
Amazon Drones
This is not the first time Amazon has showed their interest in aviation. Amazon announced a plan to deliver packages in 30 minutes or less. The company plans on accomplishing this by using drone technology.
Then, earlier this month Amazon’s CEO announced the news via Twitter praising the shipping breakthrough for the company. Amazon was able to deliver a product to a consumer via a drone and the entire delivery process only took 13 minutes.
However, Amazon still faces strict Federal Aviation Administration rules that call for all drones to be operated by a human pilot. Consequently, this rules out algorithms or GPS technology.
Following Amazon’s patent, it is possible to believe that warehouses will be floating across the country delivering products in minutes rather than days.