Amazon will test its drone delivery service in UK skies in partnership with the British government.
A cross-government team supported by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has given the retailer the green light to conduct tests in the UK.
The trials will focus on how well the company's Prime Air drones can identify and navigate obstacles, how they perform when flown beyond the operator's line of sight, and whether a single operator can simultaneously pilot multiple drones.
"The UK is a leader in enabling drone innovation - we've been investing in Prime Air research and development here for quite some time," said Paul Misener, Amazon's vice president of global innovation policy and communications.
"The UK is charting a path forward for drone technology that will benefit consumers, industry and society," said Misener, promising that the introduction of drone delivery would create jobs.
The drones must remain under an altitude of 400ft (122m) and will not be permitted to fly near airport flight paths, as with privately-owned drones.
They will also be restricted to a maximum carry weight of 2.3kg (5lbs) or less, a weight an Amazon spokesperson said comprises 90 per cent of the company's deliveries.
"We want to enable the innovation that arises from the development of drone technology by safely integrating drones into the overall aviation system," said CAA policy director Tim Johnson. "These tests by Amazon will help inform our policy and future approach."
Amazon is also exploring automation in other sectors, with a Dutch robot taking gold in its industrial automation challenge for warehouse bots.
Some, however, have warned of the dangers of deploying automated drones. "They might look pretty innocent, but on closer inspection, what you find can be terrifying," said Colin Bull, principal consultant for manufacturing and product development at SQS.
"Putting it bluntly, these devices are in fact a flying payload system," he said, and called for increased standardisation and regulation of the radio frequencies used for drone control.
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