Amazon announced Monday that it will begin flying some products to consumers later this year, as part of a drone delivery pilot program in a California town.
Walmart currently offers drone delivery and announced in May that it is expanding the service to six states by the end of the year, with the potential to deliver one million parcels each year.
Customers in Lockeford, California, will be able to register for free delivery by “Prime Air” drones, according to an Amazon blog post.
According to Amazon, “air-eligible” items ordered on the retailer’s website will be loaded into drones that will fly to delivery addresses, drop things outside from safe heights, and then fly away.
Amazon claims to have developed a sophisticated technology that allows its drones to recognize and avoid obstacles such as airplanes, people, pets, and other people.
Read: How to earn money from Amazon with zero investment
“We designed our sense-and-avoid system for two main scenarios: to be safe when in transit, and to be safe when approaching the ground,” the company said.
The drone service in California will be expanded based on customer feedback.
Autonomous drone delivery is being developed by a wide range of enterprises, from small startups to major IT companies like Google parent Alphabet.
According to the company’s website, Alphabet’s drone project Wing made its first real-world delivery in rural Australia in 2014, delivering first-aid kits, candy bars, dog treats, and water to farmers.
Wing drones were used to carry burritos to students at a Virginia university two years later.
“The logistics industry is abuzz with all-things drones,” the Amazon team said.
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