The Unseen Barriers Holding Back Drone Delivery Revolution

Background

In recent years, there have been significant advances in various technologies designed to deliver cargo by drones, primarily by e-commerce and small merchandise companies seeking to lower their operational costs while providing the public with the ‘green’ proposition of lowering CO2 emissions and traffic congestions in urban environments.

Drone technology is ready ?

Drone technology has dramatically advanced and can offer a wide selection of delivery Drones capable of carrying a few kilograms up to 25Kg and with the ability to easily fly in a range of 10~20 kilometers. These specifications are more than sufficient to manage delivery of anything from fast-moving-consumer-goods (FMCG) and perishables like groceries, flowers, or light toolkits. The limitations are therefore not Drone specific at all.

So why is Drone delivery stalled?

When it comes to practical implementations, flying a commercial drone by a pilot beyond the visual line of sight (commonly known as BVLOS…), it requires the introduction of autonomy. Autonomous flights require many additional technologies to be in place beyond the drone and pilot alone.

The four critical components for drone delivery

?·?????? An Autonomous Drone – A Drone which is capable of self-guided flight and point-to-point navigation & delivery capability. ?Such drones typically feature an autopilot system with advanced GPS navigation systems & fallback systems for cases where GPS signal is lost. The Drones also need additional obstacle avoidance sensors and safety parachutes fixtures which means more weight and the need for a much stronger and power consuming on-board computer.

?·?????? A Drone Station/Hub – Autonomous operation will require the drones and parcels to be managed in scale and therefore a specialized station or "hub" is required. Such a Drone hub that supports autonomy flight operations will need to offer features like weatherproof Drone sheltering, automated battery charging, climate control & external weather collection for monitoring wind direction and strength to facilitate for optimal Drone take-off and landing conditions.

?·?????? Air Traffic Software – Just like passenger traffic, autonomous drone flights over urban population are likely to be highly regulated by air-traffic systems with FAA approved software. Such systems are likely to include AI based algorithms to regulate flight-path planning, obstacle avoidance and interfaces to external systems to manage real-time alerts, homeland security take-overs, and other emergency systems with priority over the delivery traffic routes.

·?????? Communication Systems – Autonomous operations require reliable communication systems between the Drone and the Control Center and between delivery sites. ?Such communications systems may be built upon high-bandwidth wireless links (e.g., LTE, 5G), they may need encryption to eliminate hacking and privacy.

Summary

?The successful deployment of delivery drones at scale could radically transform the industry, replacing thousands of drivers, fossil fuel-powered delivery trucks, road traffic, and centralized delivery hubs with drone operators, small aircraft, air traffic, mobile hubs, and point-to-point delivery.

This broad transformation could result in reduced congestion in existing road infrastructure, increased road safety, and improved accessibility to areas with poor road infrastructure and save lives where search & rescue, fire-fighting and medical aid can be more available to rural areas.

To make this a reality, Drone & Drone Hub manufactures as well as Air-Traffic control software providers will need to collaborate with regulators to set economical viable eco-systems so delivery by Drones will be fun, economic and deliver the ‘green’ benefits of CO2 emission reduction and less congestion benefits we are all hoping for.

About the writer

Ian Sorek is an independent market analyst providing consulting services to technology companies in Israel (visit www.galian-consulting.com ). He is currently working with Strix Drones (www.strixdrones.com), a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of universal drone docking stations used for secure urban delivery operations and medical supply to rural areas.

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