Jeff Wilke, Amazon's chief executive of consumer operations worldwide, has announced that his company should be delivering packages with drones “within months.” Speaking at Re:Mars – the e-tail behemoth's conference on machine learning, automation, robotics and space, held on June 4-7 in Las Vegas – Wilke said that Amazon's latest drone, the MK27, can carry packages of up to five pounds (2.3 kg) and deliver them within a radius of 15 miles (24 km), all while evading obstacles such as clotheslines, dogs and people. The Federal Aviation Administration in the U.S. has granted a one-year, renewable certificate to allow its operation. Amazon has already tested other drones, but every new design requires a new certificate. Wilke did not specify where or when drone delivery would commence.

Topics