Your package delivered by drone? It's possible

August 23 2013

The way packages are delivered could be on the cusp of a major overhaul. The United States Postal Service is in financial trouble and many companies are looking for alternative methods to complete critical business tasks. However, some of these ideas are a bit far out there.

A recent article from Business Insider looked at the possibility of companies using unmanned drones to make deliveries right to a customer's doorstep. Currently. these devices are available for purchase from $300 to over $20,000 depending on the travel range, payload weight and controls.

"When most people think of drones, they picture small pilotless, plane-like devices used by the military for hunting terrorists," the article reads. "Drone manufacturers want to change this image and widen the target audience for their products. Physical delivery of products is one of the potential uses of drones that could excite marketers."

The main reason this has yet to happen is because the law does not allow it. Commercial use of drones is currently illegal and the devices that are legal are restricted to operating below 400 feet, making longer travel impossible. However, Congress has asked the FAA to develop rules for adding drones for commercial use by 2015.

While it would be very interesting to have a drone take off 10 minutes after placing an order. fling directly to your front door, it will be a while before this is possible. Instead, businesses should consider more practical approaches like a local delivery service that can guarantee same day and secure delivery.