Question:
Will future delivery by drones be dangerous?
Will a falling drone injure or kill people?
Answer:
In answer to the “falling drone” part of the equation, it is definitely possible that a falling drone could injure or kill a human being. A drone falling on a motor vehicle could, of course, cause an accident where a number of people are hurt or killed.
However, the general public need not fear. Delivery by drone is not going to happen until and unless Amazon (or others) proves statistically that the method is safe. As mentioned in other answers, safety is relative. Many people are injured or killed on local trips to the store to get small items – so drone delivery may prevent a number of such accidents. Climate change also plays a role – if drone delivery ends up spewing less pollution into the air this also saves lives.
As a futurist I often ponder these things. There is a good chance that the delivery drones will have various safety systems built in. Some examples:
Simple parachutes
Wings which spring outward and allow the drone to glide to a safe spot.
Airbags in case all else fails.
Also keep in mind that our cars and trucks are likely to be self-driving within a decade or so. This will likely eliminate most accidents which could be caused by falling drones.
My guess is that delivery drones will use certain known corridors such as rivers, power line right-of-ways, train tracks, etc. which would greatly lessen the chances of an accident doing harm.
Put it all together and – along with me – let’s welcome our robot overlords!
