The Amazon Blimp (HOAX)
The video of the Amazon blimp “mothership” with drones flying in and out of the blimp, looks pretty amazing and scary at the same time. But don’t worry, the whole thing is nothing more than an April Fool joke by Japanese Twitter user Zozi009.
Yep, the entire video is fake, all Computer-generated imagery (CGI) and Zozi009, is on point. Zozi009 designed wire models of the blimp
But this could have been real as Amazon filed a patent in late 2014 for an “airborne fulfillment center (AFC) and the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to deliver items from the AFC to users.”
The video features a Lockheed Martin P-791 experimental airship as the Amazon blimp with drones coming and going from the airship, delivering packages. But in reality, Amazon is there yet, but they do have some testing using drones. They have also set up Amazon Prime Air. If Amazon used blimps, then kids would no longer love seeing the occasional Goodyear blimp as it floats over your neighbor making that very distinctive sound.
Amazon is still in the testing phases for its Amazon Air drone deliveries.
Zozi009 is a video production artist in Hiroshima, Japan and you can see some of her other work
What is really cool, is how other companies are using autonomous drones for delivery. Walmart is using the company called Zipline for some of their testing in a 50-mile radius of Pea Ridge in North West Arkansas. Watching this video, I’m not concerned about the drone, but a package falling from the sky at warp speed.
Walmart is also testing in Fayetteville North Carolina with store-to-customer delivery, partnering with Flytrex, and delivering items from the Walmart Neighborhood Market at 970 Strickland Bridge Road to customers’ backyards. These drones are not autonomous.
They are also running a test with DroneUp in 34 different markets with a potential reach of 4 million households. However, the DroneUp tests are not autonomous, but use a team of certified pilots, operating within FAA guidelines
Several other companies are either using or testing drone delivery, some autonomous and some using trained pilots. Companies like Domino’s Pizza, Google, and UPS to name a few. I personally have yet to see a delivery drone, but I’m sure I will very soon.
It might have been an April Fools joke, but it will be the reality in the very near future.
Sources:
https://www.geekwire.com/2019/amazing-april-fools-video-amazon-blimp-got-taken-way-seriously/
https://laughingsquid.com/giant-amazon-mothership-deploying-delivery-drones/
