This undated image provided by Amazon.com shows the so-called Prime Air unmanned aircraft project that Amazon is working on in its research and development labs. Amazon says it will take years to advance the technology and for the Federal Aviation Administration to create the necessary rules and regulations, but CEO Jeff Bezos said Sunday Dec. 1, 2013, there's no reason Drones can't help get goods to customers in 30 minutes or less. (AP Photo/Amazon)

Other companies join Amazon in testing delivery drones

SALVADOR RODRIGUEZ
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Amazon.com made headlines this week with the announcement of Amazon Prime Air, but it isn't the only company that's testing delivery drones.

Reports this week say UPS and Google are two other companies that are also testing delivery drones for their services.

Unnamed sources say UPS is "testing and evaluating" different ways that it could add drones to its fleet of brown delivery vehicles, according to The Verge. Though UPS has not confirmed this report, the company did not dismiss it either.

"The commercial use of drones is an interesting technology and we'll continue to evaluate it," UPS said in a statement. "UPS invests more in technology than any other company in the delivery business, and we're always planning for the future."

In Silicon Valley, Google is also testing delivery drones. Reports from as far back as February by news site 9to5Google say Google has been testing "mini-drone delivery systems" that it would like to use with Google Shopping Express, a same-day delivery service available in San Francisco and surrounding areas.

The Google drones come from Google X, the same department that is responsible for Google Glass and the company's self-driving cars, according to 9to5Google.

Some day soon, we'll likely receive our packages from drones; but first, government regulations need to change.

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