Paulsen, 1

Eli Paulsen

Drone Argument

In the future, wouldn’t it be great if people never had to wait? The world would run so

much more smoothly and there is so much that humanity would be able to do with this extra

time. Companies today are getting very close to making this idealistic future a reality. Some

companies like Amazon.com, Inc. are striving to reduce the wait times and hassles of home-

delivered goods with the use of drones. These drones would have the capability of delivering

items straight to your door in thirty minutes or less. There are some risks that come with the use

of commercial drones, but while they may possess certain risks, commercial drones will improve

the lives of many companies, and many Americans.

The use of commercial drones would reduce expenses for many companies. In the year

2012 the United States Postal service spent $11.1 billion on prepayments to future retiree

benefits (Avampato, Christa). Using commercial delivery drones would cut down this number

significantly, and the government would be able to put the money they save on the postal

service into other government programs like education. However, drones would not be able to

complete the complex tasks that a person has to complete such as ringing a doorbell or hiding a

package that was delivered when the recipient wasn’t home. But drones won’t need to do these

tasks. All it would take is a program where the company notifies you that you have a package

ready for delivery, and you let the company know when you will be home. This way will be more

convenient because consumers will know exactly when their packages are coming, and the

companies won’t even have to worry about adapting to complex circumstances.

One of the main concerns for drone deliveries are the safety hazards that come with the

use of autonomous drones. For example, people might believe that an in-flight malfunction

could result in injury or damage to property. Other people argue that drones will have trouble

maneuvering around things like buildings and power lines. While these are reasonable

concerns, people don’t need to worry about them happening. The drones that Amazon are
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producing have enough space to fit nine propellers (McFarland, Matt). Drones with more

propellers become more safe by having propellers that can compensate for in-flight

malfunctions. Amazon drones will also be built with “sophisticated ‘sense and avoid’ technology”

(Amazon.com) in order to avoid obstacles while flying. Therefore all of these concerns can be

laid at rest.

Another area that using commercial drones would benefit people is in food delivery.

Currently some grocery stores already have food delivery systems in place, but delivery times

aren’t always ideal, and companies leave food at your house without any protection from the

weather (Avampato, Christa). However, drones would allow deliveries to happen at all times,

and things that need to be kept cool would be delivered in coolers to preserve freshness.

Delivery drones could also be applied to prepared food deliveries, such as pizza deliveries or

chinese takeout, to reduce wait time. Some people might be asking, “food deliveries are already

plenty fast and convenient, why do we need to add more risk just to save a few minutes?” When

food is delivered faster it tastes as if it had just come out of the oven. In addition to having better

tasting food, using delivery drones would actually reduce risk. The switch from people deliveries

to drone deliveries would mean less people on the roads at any given time, therefore reducing

the risk of accidents.

The use of commercial drones would overall improve the quality of our lives. We will not

need to wait as long for commodities, roads would be safer, and we will be able to increase

government funding toward education programs and healthcare. Our lives will become easier,

and drones will springboard us into the future.

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“Amazon Prime Air.” Robot Check, Amazon, www.amazon.com/Amazon-Prime-

Air/b?ie=UTF8&node=8037720011

Avampato, Christa. "Delivery Drones Are a Good Idea." The Impact of the Tech Giants, edited

by Jack Lasky, Greenhaven Press, 2016. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints In

Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010990220/OVIC?u=pioneer&sid=OVIC&xid=0de

1d71c. Accessed 1 May 2018. Originally published as "How Amazon Prime Air's Drone

Technology Could Affect Other Businesses," www.fool.com, 2 Dec. 2013.

McCaul, Michael. "Commercial Drones Could Threaten National Security." Drones, edited by

Tamara Thompson, Greenhaven Press, 2016. Current Controversies. Opposing

Viewpoints In Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010977229/OVIC?u=pioneer&sid=OVIC&xid=21d

5a192. Accessed 1 May 2018. Originally published as "Using Unmanned Aerial Systems

Within the Homeland: Security Game Changer?" 2012.