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Delivery drones are rapidly becoming mainstream as multiple companies develop innovative ways to deliver packages using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). With the capability to deliver items contact-free and in under 30 minutes, drones offer efficiencies that traditional delivery methods simply cannot match. Let’s take a deeper look at this emerging technology and what it may mean for the future of logistics.
Testing the Waters
Several well-known companies have been testing delivery drones services over the past few years. Amazon started their Prime Air program back in 2013 with the goal of designing, manufacturing, and operating drones capable of delivering packages under 5 pounds to customers within 30 minutes. After extensive R&D and testing, Amazon received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to start package deliveries using drones in 2020.
Other companies that have piloted drone delivery programs include Google’s Wing offshoot, Uber Eats, and Chipotle. In late 2019, Wing became the first drone delivery service to receive air carrier certification from the FAA, allowing them to start commercial operations in parts of Virginia. Meanwhile, Chipotle partnered with DroneUp to test burrito deliveries in Virginia Beach. While still in the testing phase, these early programs have helped improve drone technologies and collect data on public perceptions.
Regulatory Hurdles
One of the biggest challenges for widespread commercial deployment of delivery drones has been navigating strict regulations around UAV operations. For many years, the FAA maintained tight restrictions on drone flights due to concerns about safety and security. Rules limited operations to daylight hours within visual line of sight of the operator and below 400 feet. This effectively prevented autonomous beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) deliveries.
However, as drone technologies advanced rapidly, regulators realized existing rules were hampering innovation. The FAA started streamlining regulations and permitting processes for commercial drone operators in 2018. They laid out a framework for remote ID and tracking of all drones weighing over 0.55 lbs. New rules also created avenues for companies to obtain waivers to fly BVLOS delivery missions. As the result of ongoing policy reforms, the regulatory landscape is much more friendly towards drone deliveries today compared to just a few years ago.
Technical Hurdles Persist
While regulations have loosened up, a number of technical challenges still need addressed before drones can provide truly scalable delivery services:
Battery Life – Most consumer drones top out at 30 minutes of flight time on a single battery charge. Such narrow operational windows make multiple deliveries per battery impossible. Companies are actively researching high-capacity batteries that allow much longer flights without recharging.
Weather Resilience – Inclement weather like high winds, rain and snow grounds most drones for safety reasons. Delivery drones will need advanced sensing and controls able to safely operate autonomously in a wide range of conditions. Some are experimenting with vertical take-off vehicles less impacted by crosswinds.
Beyond Visual Line of Sight – Enabling fully autonomous BVLOS flights presents difficulties around communications, navigation and collision avoidance without a human operator in the loop. Achieving very high levels of reliability in GPS-denied and crowded urban environments is challenging. Regulations are looser, but technical barriers remain.
Package Holding – Designing mechanisms to securely grip, transport and release packages of different sizes and weights during dynamic flight maneuvers is deceptively complicated. Improper gripping risks dropped deliveries while excessive weight reduces battery life.
The technical challenges are substantial, yet some argue they are not as difficult as the regulatory hurdles already cleared. With billions of dollars being poured into R&D, the limits of drone capabilities are being pushed every year. Major breakthroughs are expected in battery, hardware and software technologies over the next 5-10 years. Once fully autonomous systems can operate in all conditions year-round with packages in tow, drone deliveries may become truly mainstream.
The Future is Coming
Analysts predict the commercial drone delivery market will be worth over $8 billion globally by 2028 as operational capabilities advance and new use cases emerge. The use of drones to deliver medicine, meal kits, groceries and other high-priority items could revolutionize logistics in rural areas and transform supply chain efficiencies in cities. As drone costs decrease, same-day and same-hour deliveries may become an option for many more people.
Some futurists even forecast drone-based delivery as a service that competes directly against ground-based transportation. Drone “taxis” could pick up and deliver consumers within certain metropolitan areas, cutting travel times dramatically. Autonomous multi-copter trucks could transport goods long-haul between cities without drivers. On-demand drone services may soon reshape how people and products move locally as well as globally.
This delivery drones future is closer than it appears. From medical emergencies to consumer entertainment, we’re already seeing examples where drones are the fastest and most economical solution. As legal and technical limitations continue falling away, there will be few barriers preventing drones from taking over bigger slices of the delivery market in 10-15 years. For consumers and business alike, drone deliveries offer upsides in efficiency, sustainability and overall convenience that cement them as the logistics method of tomorrow arriving at our doorsteps today.
*Note:
1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
