In the past few years, what started as an idea has now turned into a multi-billion dollar industry. Apart from the traditional use cases like intelligence gathering, surveillance, spying, videography, etc. drones have now emerged as a tool for the delivery of food, medicines, and other essential and critical commodities.
Drone delivery has now made it possible to transport goods directly to consumers via the use of heavy-duty commercial drones. Though drones are not yet advanced enough to safely carry packages for long distances, they can still speed up the short-distance delivery processes. They can easily transport lightweight items to the final destination from the local stockyard, thus lowering the shipping time, distance, and cost.
Moreover, drones can be operated in two different modes, the primary of which is autonomous operation (using AI & ML) and the secondary is the manual operation by an operator located at a nearby distribution facility.
In the US, it is perfectly legal to conduct drone deliveries in all 50 states. Still, companies are exploring different obstacles to avoid any accidental violation of various aviation-related regulations. That's because many manned aircraft regulations also apply to drones. There is very little legislation that has been created specifically for drones alone.
Industry observers say that drone delivery for commercial use may soon become more common in the U.S. as more companies gain approval from the federal aviation administration which works on the safety rules governing the skies.
People living in remote areas may experience the biggest benefits of this. All you have to do as a customer is to download the app, select what you want to purchase, do the online payment, and wait for the delivery through drones in minutes rather than hours.
Several major corporations have started using drones for delivery. A few examples are Amazon, Walmart & DHL.
Sectors suitable for drone delivery:
Healthcare delivery: Drones can be used to drop off valuable medical supplies. This includes items like:
Vaccines
Pharmaceuticals
Medical samples
Blood and plasma
With the help of drones, medical supplies can be flown into inaccessible zones or parts of the world suffering from blockades or conflicts. Dropping off supplies through drones is a much more economical and affordable option compared to delivery via traditional modes like commercial trucks & other vehicles etc.
Food delivery: Drones could potentially be used to provide fast meal delivery services. Imagine ordering a pizza from your favorite restaurant and having it delivered to your door by a drone that drops it off as soon as it comes out of the oven! Drone-based food delivery has the potential to be faster and less expensive than using a vehicle to deliver orders.
Postal delivery: Drone delivery has already been carried out by postal operators in some countries. These experiments are being used to see if large-scale postal delivery through drones is possible. For quite some time, the USPS has been experimenting with drone deliveries.
Shipping delivery: Drone deliveries have the potential to be extremely beneficial to the shipping businesses. Drones are not just a smart alternative for corporations like Amazon, but they can also aid logistics firms. Drones can refill cargo ships and conduct other activities that were previously carried out by small boats, thus helping businesses with savings in operational expenditure.
Advantages of drone delivery:
Improve Public Perception - As many people previously worried about their privacy, the drone industry initially faced a lot of backlashes. However, the majority of the general public liked the idea of being able to receive goods quickly, which ultimately has caused a shift in public perception regarding drone delivery.
Access Remote Areas Quickly - Traditional delivery vehicles can't get to remote or difficult-to-reach terrains as quickly as drones can. This capability could allow medical personnel and aid workers to provide people with the assistance they require without the delays that they currently face.
Save Time - Drones don't rely on rushed roadways to deliver goods to customers. As a result, they may escape the traffic congestion that existing delivery systems suffer from, allowing drones to fly directly to the buyer's doorstep and deliver items with ease.
Deliver Vital Medical Supplies - Drones also have the advantage of being able to deliver medical supplies in non-emergency scenarios. Humanitarian organizations can transport these items without endangering the lives of their volunteers by deploying drones.
Drones are now appearing to prove their mettle when it comes to delivery service. The new technological innovations in this field are resulting in commercial drones with higher lifting capacity, thus increasing their use cases. The rapid advancement in drone technology signals toward a future where the drones may or may not replace the humans on the battlefield, but they will for sure replace the humans in the delivery service industry.