Amazon says drone deliveries are the future

SEATTLE -- In the not-too-distant future, Amazon deliveries could come by air directly to your doorstep.

The online mega-retailer unveiled plans on Sunday for a new delivery service called Prime Air, which uses unmanned aerial vehicles -- or drones -- that look like toy helicopters.

The "octocopters" aren't ready to take flight yet. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said in an interview on 60 Minutes that the drones would be ready to take flight in four to five years. But an Amazon spokesperson pointed to an updated post on the company's website promising aerial deliveries as soon as federal rules change.

Those FAA rules could come as soon as 2015. The type of flights Bezos proposed are currently not allowed. Unlike some other drones currently used, these would be autonomous -- they would fly without a pilot.

"I know this looks like science fiction. It's not," Bezos said in the CBS interview. "It drops the package. You come and get your package and we can do half-hour deliveries."

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