US-based Amazon Technology has won a patent from the US Patent and Trademark office (USPTO) for a voice-controlled unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or drone, which is small enough to be carried in a person’s pocket or bag.
In its patent filing, Amazon said that the technology could be used by police as a ‘mobile dash cam’ to obtain enhanced audio and video.
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It can also be used to help users find lost cars in parking lots or lost children in a grocery store, as well as see over a crowd.
The drone can be controlled by voice commands or instructions from an app installed on the user's cell phone, computer and other devices.
Responding to the app’s commands, the drone has the ability to return to the current location of its operator.
A statement in the patent filing read as: “Many situations arise in which a user may wish to review the situation from afar.
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By GlobalData“This may be because the user needs a different vantage point, because the situation is dangerous, or because the user simply can't find their car in a crowded parking lot.
“In these situations, and others, it would be convenient to have a UAV to provide video, audio, or other data remotely to a user without the necessity for a remote control or other equipment. It would be especially convenient if the UAV were small enough to be carried on a person.”
Last November, the company unveiled a video showing its unmanned drone prototype being used to deliver packages to customers within 30min or less.
