Instant deliveries of your online order by means of drone may sound like science fiction, but the drone industry is real and booming. The ever-growing technology of UAVs presents us with many innovative solutions to our everyday problems. Equipped with so many benefits, it is no surprise that the acceptance of drones in the public has dramatically increased in the recent years. Therefore, it was only a matter of time before drones started being utilized for commercial purposes. With the advancing technology, we can now get what we desire within minutes of it leaving warehouses, and without us having to leave our houses. Sure, drone delivery can be frightening at times, but people are adapting quickly to it. I’ll discuss some real-world examples regarding this topic below.
But, before diving into its applications, let’s first understand the technology and methods which makes the drones delivery possible.
What is Drone Delivery and how it works?
Drone delivery is a new way of delivering products to consumers. Rather than focusing on traditional delivery methods — people delivering via car, bicycle, or truck — this form of delivery gives the responsibility to a drone. Orders are prepared and attached to the drones, and then they fly in the sky somewhere between 200 and 400 feet, with Federal Aviation Administration approval, to deliver to consumers. The drones are autonomous; some operate via satellite, while others rely on sonar sensors, GPS, or cameras to navigate. The drone uses an automated flight controller and GCS (Ground Control Station) collectively to achieve the task. Furthermore, machine learning and computer vision is also applied in this technology. Usually, python is implemented in these models. In most cases, drone pilots oversee all the operations to ensure everything goes accordingly.
Drone Delivery services show enough potential that Amazon, Alphabet, and other tech giants are hailing it as the future of e-commerce fulfillment. Many major retail and logistics companies around the world are testing drone delivery services and drone delivery systems to solve the problem of “last mile” which means “the transit of goods from a transportation station to the ultimate delivery destination” deliveries.
And some companies have already taken the first step…
First Drone Delivery – A Domino’s Pizza
Drone delivery pizza became a reality in November 2016 when Domino’s with its drone delivery partner Flirty, dropped off an order at a customer’s door at 11:19 a.m. in Whangaparaoa, New Zealand, 25 km north of Auckland. (If you’re curious, the first pizza drone delivery was an order of a Peri-Peri Chicken Pizza and a Chicken and Cranberry Pizza.)
A team of drone experts and a pilot autonomously controlled Flirtey’s DRU Drone through GPS navigation to drop off the pizza.
Amazon Drone Delivery
Pizza drone delivery is one thing, but when the largest e-commerce company in the world starts toying with the idea of using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to fulfill orders, that’s another story entirely.
A future delivery system from Amazon is designed to safely get packages up to 5 pounds to customers in 30 minutes or less using autonomous aerial vehicles. Prime Air has great potential to enhance the services amazon already provides to millions of customers by providing rapid parcel delivery that will also increase the overall safety and efficiency of the transportation system.
The Prime Air delivery program uses autonomous drones guided by GPS systems. With last mile delivery being the most expensive and time-consuming part of the shipping process, drone delivery has the potential to give Amazon a leg up on other logistics companies.
Alphabet Drone Delivery
Google-parent Alphabet’s Wing is a drone delivery service in partnership with FedEx and Walgreens. It delivers select FedEx packages as well as health and wellness products, like over-the-counter medicines, from Walgreens.
Wing’s drones deliver packages that weigh between two to three pounds right to customers’ doorsteps. While taking advantage of Wing’s ability to improve speed and cut costs, Alphabet also boasts fuel efficiency as the drones are driven by an all-electric power system.
Alphabet’s Wing delivers packages right to customers’ doorsteps.
UPS Drone Delivery
In 2019 the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved UPS Flight Forward to become the first-ever drone service operating as a commercial airline. Business Insider Intelligence reported that although the drone service can only operate in suburban and rural regions, it has complete autonomy on size and scope of its drone operations.
UPS later teamed up with CVS Pharmacy – indicating that the company is looking to focus its initial drone efforts on medical product delivery,
Delivery Drones Pros & Cons
Delivery drones have both pros and cons, even though the benefits might be more readily apparent off the bat. Especially in the last mile delivery where companies must meet the demand of consumers wanting faster and cheaper delivery services. Drones offer a faster and more efficient way of delivering goods, especially in rural and remote areas. However, like many industries that adopt a new type of technology, drone delivery systems face some hurdles to their growth and success.
Benefits of Drone Delivery:
Faster Delivery Times – Drones are easily deployed, and most drone delivery systems are semi-automated. As soon as the package has been attached, the drone will have all the information it needs from the central command to deliver the package to its destination. Drone flight is completely autonomous and there will be no issues with traffic and congestion. The shortest route will be easily calculated, and customers will get an accurate time of arrival.
Reduced Costs – Drones are cheaper to purchase and operate than the traditional methods of transportation for last-mile delivery. And because they are battery powered, there is no expense for fuel. There are also reduced labor costs as the actual drone delivery operation is fully autonomous.
Easier Delivery to Isolated/Rural Areas – Drone deliveries have been of huge benefit for rural and hard to reach communities, especially for delivering vital supplies like medicine and lifesaving equipment. Zipline is a drone delivery company that specializes in this area, they have been delivering vital medical supplies in countries like Rwanda and Ghana within 45 minutes of an order being placed. Drones have also been used in to deliver Covid-19 vaccines to many rural communities around the world.
Good For the Environment – Logistics companies are always looking at reducing their carbon footprint to help reduce their fuel costs and fight climate change. By using drones in the final part of their supply chain, they can drastically reduce their use of fossil fuels, save costs, and help improve the environment.
Disadvantages of Drone Delivery
Initial Costs – The initial investment in getting the infrastructure for a drone delivery network will be time-consuming and expensive. There will be costs for the drones, building the delivery network, training staff to operate the system and other related costs.
Only local deliveries – At the moment even the most powerful drone has a very limited flight time, this is mainly because they are powered by lithium-ion batteries and flight time is limited to around 1 hour and this must include the return journey. Therefore, companies are only providing drone delivery services on a local basis.
Weather – Because of their relatively small size when compared to other aircraft, drones will be susceptible to bad weather. Although many of those designed for delivery services have been built to be flown in rainy and cold temperatures, they will be a risk to operate in very windy conditions.
Hacking – As these drones will be flow at low-altitude, they will be vulnerable to criminal activity. Some may even try to hack into the drone and take over its control system and divert its destination.