Amazons drones will recharge themselves using street lamposts
Amazons new patent could change the look of your community forever.
Key takeaways
- The docking station and the drone can communicate with each other to identify a suitable landing space and if the docking station was already full then the drone would simply fly over to the next nearest one.
- The stations would also be able to monitor weather conditions, alerting the drones to incoming weather and even offering them shelter.
- The patent notes that the docking stations were built to handle small, medium, and large drones and while it's presented as a hypothetical possibility it says a large drone could carry a payload as heavy as 500 pounds.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2016) 'Amazons drones will recharge themselves using street lamposts', 311 Institute, 26 September. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/amazons-wants-its-drones-to-perch-in-your-neighbourhood/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
It looks like Amazon is finally answering a fundamental question about its long awaited delivery drones - where will they land? And a possible answer, according to a recent patent filing that they put into the US Patent Office is on your neighbourhood's streetlights, churches and synagogues, cell towers, and other tall structures. So those objects that you say perched on the power pylons that you thought were birds? They're drones.
Amazon was awarded the patent for these urban "docking stations" for delivery drones, which the patent notes, "may be described as a system to deliver packages, [but] it should be understood that the system may just as easily be used to delivery groceries, mail, movies, prescriptions, and other items", late last week.
The docking station and the drone can communicate with each other to identify a suitable landing space and if the docking station was already full then the drone would simply fly over to the next nearest one. The stations would also be able to monitor weather conditions, alerting the drones to incoming weather and even offering them shelter. While Amazon's drawings all portray lamp posts, the patent notes that they would be just as comfortable at a "church steeple".
As Amazon expects to be delivering packages of differing weights, a scale would also be incorporated into the docking station. The drone could also download and upload data on new purchases or cancellations. A typical visit to this home away from home would include charging its battery - perhaps one day wirelessly, downloading any new information, and then going on its way. Then, further down the line Amazon, and others, could hook these stations into the blockchain in order to allow any third party drone to automatically find them, use them, charge from them and transact with them.
Amazon also suggests that the docking stations could serve their communities by offering some sort of Wi-Fi connection "without bearing the burden of installing some, or all, of the necessary infrastructure", so maybe this is another attempt by amazon to conquer the known world!
Amazon won the right to test its drones last year, and this patent drops hints about what they might be like. The patent notes that the docking stations were built to handle small, medium, and large drones and while it's presented as a hypothetical possibility it says a large drone could carry a payload as heavy as 500 pounds. And that's a big drone, which will be good news for all you bowling ball and anvil enthusiasts.
What this means for your organisation
Street furniture becomes delivery infrastructure.
The patent names street lamps, church steeples, cell towers and other tall structures as docking sites. Drones would charge, share data and fly to the next station if one is full. Drones are a technology to prepare for, with wide use expected by 2028.
Docks could do more than charge.
Stations could weigh packages, monitor weather and offer drones shelter. Amazon also suggests they could offer communities a Wi-Fi connection. Small cell networks already use small masts in busy places, so the two ideas overlap on the same sites.
Open networks may follow later.
The patent hints that stations could join a blockchain, so any third party drone could find them, use them, charge from them and transact with them. It also says a large drone could carry a payload as heavy as 500 pounds. Drone deliveries are an explore item, with wide use expected by 2035.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
- Which of our tall sites or roofs could host a drone dock?
- Who carries the risk if a third party drone uses our site?
- Which of our delivery routes could drones serve first?
The trends and technologies behind this story
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s article and 311 data. First published on Fanatical Futurist.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
Amazons new patent could change the look of your community forever.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
Read full bio
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 17-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder, President and Futurist of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- Nph Parser patft.uspto.gov
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 26 September 2016. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2016). Amazons drones will recharge themselves using street lamposts. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/amazons-wants-its-drones-to-perch-in-your-neighbourhood/
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