KSHB 41 reporter Grant Stephens covers downtown Kansas City, Missouri. He also focuses on stories of consumer interest. Share your story idea with Grant.
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Amazon's Prime Air drones are officially flying in the Kansas City, Kansas area, giving the public an up-close look at the new delivery system.
Amazon opened the gates at its Kansas City, Kansas site to show exactly how the drones get orders from their launch pad to a customer's backyard.
Here's how it works - inside the MKC6 fulfillment center, a special box is loaded on a dedicated line. Those boxes are then wheeled outside to the launch pads and a crew of Prime Air workers.
"Our MK 30 drone. This is the drone that actually completes the customer deliveries," said Josh Brundage, senior manager of commercial operations for Prime Air, explaining the delivery process.
"So if you live within about an eight mile radius of this building, you'll be eligible for drone delivery. Depending on your order, it has to be less than five pounds, and it has to fit in this box right here. And as long as your order fits that profile, even if it's multiple items that go in this box, you're eligible for drone delivery. And also, if you get multiple items, and we get multiple boxes, you can also get, you know, back to back and get multiple drone deliveries in the same day.”
Once a customer places an order, they pick a delivery spot. Because drones do not need driveways, many people choose their backyard.
“A lot of people really prefer the backyard, because it's a lot more private, a lot safer. So you select your delivery point, the drone then flies to that area of your property. It comes down to about 12 feet and hovers at 12 feet, the back of the drone opens up and the package comes out and falls out the bottom. So the drone actually never lands. And when the drone gets to the delivery area, it uses an onboard camera to make sure that there is nothing or no one in the way," Brundage said.
While someone monitors the flight stats back at the base, the drones fly completely on their own once a new battery and a package are slotted in. Eric Ramos, a Prime Air operations manager, detailed the launch sequence.
"You can see we have a little bit of movement on the pad. It's going through its initial checks, like I said, to check whether check other aircraft in our airspace and do a system check as well," Ramos said.
The drones are smart enough to adjust if something or someone is in the way.
"If your dog is out in the backyard and the drone gets there, the drone will actually identify that… if the dog follows, it will not drop the package on your dog, and it will come back, and we'll get you your package another way," Brundage said.
Beyond the novelty of the delivery method, the service has the potential to make life a little easier for customers.
"I think at first people want to get a drone delivery just to get a drone delivery, but then they realize that, you know, I can leave work and have something at my house by the time I get home… or I have a sick child, I can just have something dropped off in my yard for it," Brundage said.
Amazon said the Kansas City, Kansas, site is the seventh facility to have Prime Air operational. The company hopes to start up more locations across the country this year.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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