你咋不上天呢！无人机送快递，这回亚马逊真的“上天”了！

远足客 2017-01-09

展开全文

我们都知道，亚马逊（Amazon）一直都在研究无人机送快递的黑科技。最近，这个无人机快递还真送到了！

In Cambridge, Amazon used one of its autonomous drones for its first delivery, an Amazon Fire TV and a bag of popcorn. Amazon said it took 13 minutes from the customer clicking 'order,' to the package being delivered.
在英国剑桥郡，亚马逊使用了一架无人机完成了第一次送货服务，为顾客送去了一部亚马逊Fire TV和一包爆米花。据称，从顾客按下“下单”到包裹送达一共用了13分钟。

一起来看看这段宣传视频，回顾一下这一次具有里程碑意义的送货服务吧。

不过，只是简单地用无人机送个货显然还不够“黑”，亚马逊已经在设计如何全自动地实现配送流程了。

具体来说，就是“上天”。

The e-commerce giant has been awarded a patent that describes a logistics technology it calls 'airborne fulfillment center (AFC).' The AFC is essentially in airship that's capable of flying at altitudes of 45,000 feet or more that would house items the company sells through its online marketplace.
电商巨头亚马逊获得了一项专利，这项专利叫做“机载实行中心”（AFC），是一项物流业的技术。AFC实际上是可以在45000英尺及更高高度飞行的、能够储存亚马逊在线售卖货物的一艘空中飞艇。

In the patent, Amazon describes a method by which drones would fly into the warehouse, pick up the items they need to deliver, and then deliver those items to the customer's home.
在这项专利中，亚马逊描述了一种方法，能够让无人机飞入飞艇仓库、带上即将配送的商品，然后飞抵顾客所在地实现配送。

而这个巨大的空中飞艇，就将是储存无人机、储存货物的空中仓库。

不过，45000英尺可是一万三千多米，这比民航客机飞得都高了。无人机当然不能飞到这样的高度，于是又需要“摆渡飞艇”，将完成配送任务的无人机送回空中仓库，并且给仓库提供燃料等必需品。

这样一来，就节省了不少地面存储空间，很多轻便的小玩意可以放到天上去。无人机配送又能够保证精确，还可以减少劳动力的使用。

'The use of an AFC and shuttles also provides another benefit in that the AFC can remain airborne for extended periods of time,' the company wrote in its patent description. 'In addition, because the AFC is airborne, it is not limited to a fixed location like a traditional ground based materials handling facility. In contrast, it can navigate to different areas depending on a variety of factors, such as weather, expected demand, and/or actual demand.'
“使用AFC和摆渡飞艇还有个好处，那就是AFC可以在相当长的一段时间里停留在空中”，亚马逊在专利描述里写道，“此外，因为AFC在天上飞，所以它不像传统的地面存储站那样只能固定在那里。相反，它可以根据不同的条件，比如天气、预期需求和（或）实际需求，而前往不同的地方。”

亚马逊还举了个例子证明AFC的优越性。

One example is at a football match where customers may want certain items such as food or merchandise. Ahead of the game, the AFC could stock up on items and deploy these during the game with drones when they are ordered. The airship could also be used as a giant advertising board, allowing customers to order the items on display. All of these can be ordered 'within minutes'.
当有足球比赛时，观众们可能会需要像零食和杂货这种特定的商品。在比赛前，AFC就可以储存这样的商品，并且在比赛中当顾客下单后，可以随时部署无人机前往配送。飞艇也可以被当做巨大的广告板来使用，鼓励顾客们购买它外壳上展示出来的商品。所有的订单都可以在“转瞬间”完成配送。

不过，很多人都担心若无人机大量投入使用，民用航空安全将会受到影响。毕竟，空中仓库AFC的飞行高度要在民航客机之上，这就意味着配送货物的无人机要穿过民用航空的飞行线路。

为此，英国政府与亚马逊达成协议，着手进行无人机与民航客机的碰撞试验。

'The testing of potential collision impacts between a drone and a fixed-wing aircraft is currently being carried out on behalf of the UK Ministry of Defense,' a spokesperson from the UK Civil Aviation Authority said in a recent interview.
“英国国防部正在测试无人机与固定翼飞机的碰撞可能产生的影响。”英国民航局发言人在近期的采访中说。

亚马逊方面也在不断完善这项技术。

In July, a patent showed how Amazon was thinking about tall buildings and structures such as lampposts or churches as docking stations for drones to recharge. Another patent described how drones would 'talk' to each other to plan routes and communicate.
七月，亚马逊获得的一项专利展示了它正考虑用高楼、路灯柱、教堂等建筑作为停靠站，让无人机实现充电。另一项专利介绍了无人机之间如何实现“交流”，来设计线路。