A SECURITY monitoring patent that would offer customers a perimeter security solution using Amazon’s Prime Air drones has just been awarded.
Filed in 2015, the patent outlines use of Amazon’s drones to spot fires, open garage doors, broken windows end intruders. Alerts would be sent to property owners. Interestingly the drones would undertake security monitoring during the process of delivering parcels.
“With a variety of sensors aboard, including a digital camera, a UAV may be deployed to perform secondary tasks that are different than delivering a package to a destination and then returning directly back to an origination location,” the patent said.
“Geo-clipped surveillance images may be generated by physically constraining a sensor of the UAV, by performing pre-image capture processing, or post-image capture processing.”
Amazon argues in the patent that camera-equipped drones are superior to CCTV cameras because most are fixed and have a limited field of view. This means they may miss incidents or be damaged by an intruder.
Amazon’s latest drones were unveiled at the MARS event in Las Vegas early June. The drones can fly 25km on a charge and at that distance, can deliver packages weighing 2.5kg to customers in less than 30 minutes.
“With the help of our world-class fulfillment and delivery network, we expect to scale Prime Air both quickly and efficiently, delivering packages via drone to customers within months,” wrote Jeff Wilke, Amazon CEO of global consumer, recently.
Amazon has rejected suggestions the technology is an extension of its data gathering operations.
“Some reports have suggested that this technology would spy or gather data on homes without authorization—to be clear, that’s not what the patent says,” said Amazon’s John Tagle told Fortune magazine.
“The patent clearly states that it would be an opt-in service available to customers who authorize monitoring of their home.”
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