Amazon is primed to change the world and their next venture may be more than just happening in a city near you. It might actually be a city near you.
The house that Jeff Bezos built is always at the front of the line when it comes to world-changing ventures. Amazon behind a city of its own is more than a consideration. It's a possibility given that their services permeate nearly every aspect of our lives already. With so many hands in so many cookie jars, the retail giant may have already taken over the world.
Amazon Cars
In June 2020, Amazon purchased Zoox, a self-driving car company that is more than high hopes and eager promises. In fact, they've already unveiled a robotaxi to the world that shows what they can do.
While, at first glance, it appears to be the same as other self-driving cars, the Zoox creation offers so much more. Its “carriage-style” vehicle is not only all-electric and seats four in its eleven foot frame, but it has an amazing feature than many haven't even dreamed of yet.
Unlike the rides that us pedal-pushers are used to, these robotaxis have the ability to drive forward, backward, and - get this - side to side. The bi-directionally capable car of the future has four-wheel steering functionality that allows it to, as Zoox promises, handle precise maneuvers like “tight curbside pickups” and even the roughest of U-Turns. Plus, its maximum speed of 75 miles per hour is the first of its kind to reach such heights. Leaving its competition in the bi-directional dust.
Amazon Houses
Tiny houses are all the rage and there's no better place to order tiny things than Amazon. The minimalist trend of miniature dwellings is right up their alley and, at just a few thousand dollars in some cases, you'd be hard pressed to not want to pick up a new home after grabbing that recurring subscription of body wash.
For quite some time, tiny homes were primarily linked to specialty shelter magazines and websites, but when they hit Amazon, they saw pay-dirt with immediate sellouts to eager buyers. Some homes, including one model referred to as a 172-square-foot, $7,250 prefab cabin, was gone just after hitting the search results. With an assembly time of eight hours and free shipping, the deal was too good to pass up for many, making Amazon their official real estate.
The assembly may seem traditional, but there's few things higher tech than sending someone a new house in the mail.
The Drones
If we all jumped in a time machine back in the 1990s and showed up now, drones would be incredibly terrifying. These flying machines deliver packages, take video, and patrol neighborhoods like the stuff of science fiction.
For Amazon, these drones are fact, although still years away from their global takeover like metal pterodactyls. When they do, they'll need fuel. Since they don't eat rodents like other flying creatures, they need another method. The answers, it appears, are things like street lights, cellphone towers, and even church steeples. According to patent filings, these long structure would serve as refueling and docking stations for the Amazon delivery drones in between our impulse buying sprees of light bulbs that make fiery effects and beer cozies.
"The docking stations may incorporate a number of features to enable UAVs to fly longer routes, to fly routes more accurately, and to provide shelter during adverse conditions," the patent filing said.
Warn your time-traveling counterpart. It's going to be weird.
The Connection
High speed internet is becoming less of a luxury and more of a necessity in the online world we live in. From Zoom meetings to Google Meet classrooms, those without a fast connection have less opportunities than their connected competitors.
Amazon has an answer of its own and it's called Project Kuiper.
The idea is for the world to have access to lightening fast connectivity through an antenna terminal that, one day, customers of Project Kuiper can install at their homes to receive high-speed internet similar to how their great-grandparents got Honeymooners episodes. The possibilities are not just limitless, they're incoming. Many expect the idea to be mainstream within the next few years.
The Hub
You may be used to talking to your Alexa when it comes to music, weather, and light control. What happens, however, when Alexa knows all of your plans, needs, and wants? It can work in conjunction with every smart item in your world to give you the life of the future in the city of the future.
Appointment at 9? Your car is already out front. Alarm set to go off at 7:30? The coffee is brewing in the kitchen. Running low on anything? There's a drone at the door waiting to deliver it to you.
The wildest part of it all is that, for many, this life is partially happening already. The future isn't coming. It's already here. Soon enough, we may all be living in it.
Sources: The Verge, Market Watch, Business Insider, PC Magazine, TheRichest YouTube