The year is 2070. You're awake, and you really, really want a bagel. "Alexa," you ask, "please send me the best bagel in town." Miles away, machines are stirring in the giant tower known only as the Beehive, where thousands of drones flutter in and out all day and night catering to the needs of your city. As you press "order," one quadcopter takes flight, leaving through the small window where it nests, on a mission to deliver you an everything with lox and cream cheese.
This is the future that Amazon wants, at least according to a patent it recently filed for a tower that could house delivery drones, or as Amazon calls it, the "Multi-Level Fulfillment Center for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles." These panopticon-like cylindrical towers would sit at the center of cities, where drones could be summoned for deliveries. The many small windows in the tower would allow the drones easy access in and out.
If this all sounds very Blade Runner, that's probably because companies patent stuff all the time with little to no intention of following through. This is an idea, and Amazon wants to make sure they have the right to it if they ever decide to explore it. That being said, the drone tower would help solve some issues facing Amazon as it gears up for drone delivery. For one, it's tall and skinny, saving on space that's usually required for Amazon's huge warehouses. But then again, think of how creepy it'll look, like Sauron's tower, at the center of your city. The future is gonna suck, but it will be really easy to get a bagel.
Source: US Patent & Trademark Office via Engadget
