Drone Delivery – An Evolution in the field of Logistics Management

Not more than a year ago, Audi came up with a parody of transport drones in its uber-creative Suva commercial! The ad-commercial goes on to show the “drone attack” where the drones were dropping off the shipping materials over the cars and were sensing the presence of people around them. If we shed off the parody part of the commercial, mainly, these drones in the video advertisement were self-intuitive, i.e., were pre-programmed to function in a certain way and were also capable of self-direction themselves! It made the audience curious to think about the possibility of the incorporation of such futuristic gadgets to ease the delivery system! Let’s find out more about these gadgets –

With the recent popularisation of the online marketing trend and the rise of eCommerce, logistics has also gained momentum. In the past few years, we have seen multiple evolutions in the field of logistics. Drone delivery is the next big leap in the area. 2020 will be the year of transport drones; however, fret not, it will not be as intimidating as the Audi commercial. Instead, these Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones will be employed in the logistics industry to make the shipping more hassle-free, convenient, and quick!

These unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or mini helicopters are indeed an evolution in the logistics industry. Recently, Amazon, one of the largest retailers of the world, attempted to put drones into use. They incorporated these aerial vehicles as a part of their logistics plan. Over the past several years, they have been developing an eight rotor Octocopter. While the project is still in the infant stage, the retailer has confessed that the action plan has already reached its 6th generation testing phase, while the 7th and 8th are cropping up too. Drones will inevitably increase the magnanimous efficiency level and will also escalate growth.

The Benefits of Drones

The logistics industry has always followed the most traditional ways of transporting goods, which incorporate both a new workforce and cost. Further, it depends on various other factors which cause unwanted delays even when the user is ready to pay for same-day delivery! Incorporating drones, in this case, would make the delivery service faster and more convenient without the use of an additional workforce! If one were to keep aside the horde of legal formalities to launch drone deliveries and the different permission and licensing hassles the companies must go through, one could not overlook the benefits offered by these aerial devices.

The Concerns of Drone Delivery

There are several concerns in plying the drones in the air, some of which are listed below:

Financial Outlay

Though the drone delivery system would be much more cost-efficient, convenient, and hassle-free, the manufacture of these devices would still be a cost-intensive operation. It is imperative for the air drones to be robust and accurately engineered to be able to sustain and function in all types of critical conditions.

Privacy Concerns

Privacy is one of the major concerns faced by the companies opting to incorporate air drones for all right reasons! Hence, it is essential to frame stringent guidelines to govern the use of UAVs.

Weight of the Shipment

The weight of the shipment should not be more than a predetermined value to ensure the safety of the people and its proper functioning!

The Air Traffic

With the coming up of air drones, naturally, the air traffic is bound to increase in the years to come. Hence, regulations and strict guidelines are necessary beforehand to avoid the crisis at the later stage.

The Flying Height of Drones

Drones are not allowed to fly above 400m. So, in the city which has skyscrapers or the area covered by forest, the drones will not be functional, or they need to be configured according to these norms.

Conclusion

Drone Delivery is indeed a big leap in the field of logistics, but as excited as we forget our parcels delivered by the air drones, it still has a long way to go! If we talk about the developing country like India, where the roads and traffic are not organized, unmanned air vehicles could prove to be disastrous if not programmed well! Further, air traffic, cybersecurity, hacking, delivery cost, and other concerns should also be considered.