Amazon Prime Air1

Peter Harson

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亚马逊首席执行官杰夫·贝佐斯曾宣布一个听起来很疯狂的计划：使用无人机实现30分钟快递。这消息听起来是不是非常振奋人心呢？

Technologically, Amazon Prime Air isn’t actually all that crazy. Jeff Bezos, speaking on the60 Minutes TV Show,says the quadcopters will be capable of delivering a five-pound (2.3 kg) package to addresses within 10 miles of an Amazon ful fillment center, within 30 minutes.2. Jeff Bezos: 杰夫·贝佐斯，美国互联网巨头亚马逊公司创始人及现任董事长兼CEO；quadcopter: 四轴飞行器；Amazon ful fillment center: 亚马逊物流中心。Power-wise3. power-wise: 能量方面。(or should we say battery-wise), this is feasible. A delivery time of 30 minutes should be possible, assuming4. assume: 假定，假设。Amazon uses an entirely automated process (i.e. robots) to pick your order and then load it onto a quadcopter.

While the technology for Amazon Prime Air is in place,the requisite regulations certainly aren’t.5. in place: 准备就绪的；requisite: 需要的，必要的；regulation: 规则，条例。Amazon says that its quadcopters and Prime Air service will be ready in time for FAA approval of civil unmanned aircraft (i.e. quadcopters,drones, etc.) in US airspace.6. civil: 民用的，非军事的；unmanned: 无人驾驶的；drone:（无线电操纵的）无人遥控飞机；airspace: 领空。If all goes to plan, the FAA hopes to have suitable regulation in place for civil unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) by 2015. The current FAA UAS roadmap says very little about autonomous vehicles, though, and we’d be surprised if the 2015 regulations allow for Bezos’ vision of a fleet of autonomous quadcopters.7. 目前，美国联邦航空管理局（FAA）的无人机系统规划很少涉及自动驾驶交通工具，如果2015年的管理规定将贝索斯所设想的四轴自动飞行器机群考虑在内，我们将会十分惊讶。roadmap: 路线图，指南；autonomous:自动的，自主的；allow for: 考虑到，顾忌；vision: 构想，设想，念头。(As far as the technology goes, though, autonomous quadcopters with built-in collision avoidance algorithms should be fairly common by 2015.)8. built-in: 内置的；collision avoidance: 避撞；algorithm: 演算法，计算程序。

Beyond technological and regulatory concerns, though,practical concerns are by far the largest potential pitfall for Amazon Prime Air.9. regulatory: 监管的，管理的；pitfall: 问题，隐患。Imagine for a moment a fleet of Amazon Prime Air quadcopters above the skies of New York City.From my rooftop in Brooklyn, it would be awfully easy to shoot down some Amazon quadcopters with an air ri fle and loot their bounty of emergency sriracha and condoms.10. Brooklyn: 布鲁克林（纽约市五个行政区中人口最多的一个）；air ri fle: 气步枪；loot: 抢劫，洗劫；sriracha: 是拉差（美国加州生产的一种辣椒酱，是拉差是泰国的一个小城）；condom:避孕套，安全套。Really, in this age of impulse buying, those quadcopters could be carrying some pretty valuable cargo11. cargo: 货物。(video games,engagement rings, etc.) If quadcopter hunting seems a bit over the top, there are also more mundane security concerns.12. over the top: 言过其实的，夸大其词的；mundane: 日常的，平凡的。In the video, the Prime Air quadcopter simply leaves the box outside your house. This might work in rural areas, where people have private backyards, but it’s completely infeasible in an urban, densely populated setting—and with a range of 10 miles, Amazon Prime Air is clearly targeted at exactly that market.13. 这在乡村地区或许可行，那里人们拥有私家后院，但是在人口密集的城市环境却完全行不通——而10公里的（配送）范围说明，后者正是亚马逊无人机快递服务的市场目标。infeasible: 不可行的，行不通的；densely populated: 人口密集的；target at: 以……为目标。How long do you think those pretty yellow boxes would last, on a sidewalk in Queens.14. sidewalk: 人行道；Queens: 皇后区（纽约市五个行政区中面积最大的一个）。

Still, as a concept, Amazon Prime Air is very exciting.While 2015 might be a little too optimistic15. optimistic:（过于）有信心的，（过分）乐观的。, there’s no doubt that we’re moving towards a future that is increasingly ruled by autonomous robots and vehicles. There are absolutely massive gains to be made by speeding up and automating the retail experience, from warehouse to doorstep and every stage in between—gains that Amazon and other retail giants are guaranteed to take advantage of.16. 对零售体验，从库房到家门及其中的每个环节， 在速度和自动化方面进行提升，必将带来巨大收益——这些收益是亚马逊和其他零售巨头必定会加以利用的。massive: 巨大的；gain: 收益，利益；guarantee to do: 保证会做某事；take advantage of: 利用。