I agree that drone hijacking would certainly be a concern. And no there probably is no difference in contraband with traditional shipping methods like UPS, other than the removal of the human factor. If a package is "ticking" or if a "powdery" substance is leaking from a package it is more likely to gain attention in the shipping process when the human factor of package handling exists.
Perhaps these drones could have some type of technology to "examine" a package's contents before it picks it up and delivers it?
Security is certainly a concern, but I'd be more concerned about somebody hijacking a drone and piloting it into a building. How is the risk of shipping contraband via a drone any different than the risk of shipping contraband via a conventional service, like UPS?
You'd think they could also have advertising on the side, providing the operators with the opportunity to make a bit more money, too. Similar to how some semi-trucks are emblazoned with brand logos, as well as the transporter's name.
As to security, having heard this holiday season about many cases of packages that disappeared off friends' front porches after the UPS/USPS/FedEx truck dropped them off (in one case, while my friend walked from her home office to the front door to bring the box in), I don't know that drones would be any worse than today's delivery methods.
Security would certainly be one of the many issues that would inevitably come into play with such a program. I am sure nothing like this will come to fruition any time soon.
I would think another major concern would be security. It seems a new national sport might pop up called "Capture the Delivery Drone" where pre-teen kids fire capture nets up at the drones and then market their captured booty on craigslist.
Haha...Vomiting Larry, I guess that would be a pretty ingenious self defense mechanism...if another robot gets too close he get's it.
This package-delivering robot idea is pretty interesting, but like others, I can imagine a plethora of problems a system like this could face. I would imagine they would have to fly pretty low as well to avoid interrupting "traditional" air traffic. Also, if anyone can use the service via their smartphone, I imagine that criminals would try to employ this to ship items that would not be allowed through the traditional shipping methods.
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In the 1970 science fiction thriller Colossus: The Forbin Project, two giant supercomputers from the United States and Soviet Union secretly join forces to take control of the collective nuclear might of the two countries. In the film, the two machines discover each other's existence, communicate back-and-forth, share their collective data, and cut their human creators out of the process. It is the ultimate example of machine-to-machine communications, or M2M.
The smartphone market reached a significant milestone, a breakthrough that may cause vendors to celebrate but could strain the capabilities of IT service desks.
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Ushering in a new era of cognitive computing systems, IBM announced today the IBM Watson Engagement Advisor, a technology breakthrough that allows brands to crunch big data in record time to transform the way they engage clients in key functions such as customer service, marketing, and sales.
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M2M: Rise of the Machines? Not Yet David Weldon In the 1970 science fiction thriller Colossus: The Forbin Project, two giant supercomputers from the United States and Soviet Union secretly join forces to take control of the collective nuclear might of the two countries. In the film, the two machines discover each other's existence, communicate back-and-forth, share their collective data, and cut their human creators out of the process. It is the ultimate example of machine-to-machine communications, or M2M. CLICK FOR MORE
M2M: Rise of the Machines? Not Yet David Weldon In the 1970 science fiction thriller Colossus: The Forbin Project, two giant supercomputers from the United States and Soviet Union secretly join forces to take control of the collective nuclear might of the two countries. In the film, the two machines discover each other's existence, communicate back-and-forth, share their collective data, and cut their human creators out of the process. It is the ultimate example of machine-to-machine communications, or M2M. CLICK FOR MORE
M2M: Rise of the Machines? Not Yet David Weldon In the 1970 science fiction thriller Colossus: The Forbin Project, two giant supercomputers from the United States and Soviet Union secretly join forces to take control of the collective nuclear might of the two countries. In the film, the two machines discover each other's existence, communicate back-and-forth, share their collective data, and cut their human creators out of the process. It is the ultimate example of machine-to-machine communications, or M2M. CLICK FOR MORE
M2M: Rise of the Machines? Not Yet David Weldon In the 1970 science fiction thriller Colossus: The Forbin Project, two giant supercomputers from the United States and Soviet Union secretly join forces to take control of the collective nuclear might of the two countries. In the film, the two machines discover each other's existence, communicate back-and-forth, share their collective data, and cut their human creators out of the process. It is the ultimate example of machine-to-machine communications, or M2M. CLICK FOR MORE
