Delivery drones and their endless possibilities

Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, is testing unmanned drones to deliver goods to customers.

Amazon, the world's largest online retailer, is testing unmanned drones to deliver goods to customers. The news has been making headlines everywhere - jokes have been cracked, the innumerable possibilities of science fiction movies discussed and security concerns are now being mulled over by top authorities. City Express asks Bangaloreans about their expectations, if they were to hit Indian shores.

"People will probably go crazy, like they did when the google street view van was here. Children will throw stones at it. But if drones did deliver stuff in India some day, I would order for emergency birthday presents," says Arjun Kutty, a copy writer.

For Prithviraj Surendranath, the news of drones felt like a scene straight out of a movie. "I was pleasantly surprised when they used a similar device in a recent Tamil film plot to get a ransom demand! In India most deliveries follow a 'cash on delivery' model, so I'm not sure how people are going to integrate payment. And owing to the haphazard building set ups and construction, they would need multiple tracking points set up," he says.

Pavan Madhini, a product manager at a game development company, is not very optimistic about the idea. "If these drones came to India, I think a lot of them will start disappearing soon, with all kinds of people trying to steal them. However, I think India still has a long way to go," he says.

Praveen VR, who works at NetApp, feels that the possibilities are endless.

"Using drones for pizza delivery would be so cool. And what if drones can deliver stuff to people on the move? Suppose you are driving to a place and you want McDonald's, and a drone comes and delivers it to your car, while you're driving. That would be great."

The ladies have their own priorities, of course.

"I don't think it will work in India. People don't have respect for public property. If at all it works, I would like food, cigarettes, alcohol and sanitary napkins when I really need them," says Anupama Ravi, a college student.

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