Delivery Drones

       Delivery drones are operated autonomously or remotely, with operators potentially overseeing multiple drones at once. In several examples across the world, drones are being used for delivering time-sensitive items, such as medicine, or deliveries that would be difficult with traditional vehicle-based services. The delivery drones are “Unmanned Aerial Vehicles” (UAVs) that can deliver lightweight packages. Drones generally use 4-8 propellers and rechargeable batteries to provide thrust and attach packages underneath the body of the drone.

    

      A technology like delivery drones will surely face a number of hurdles before being adopted for commercial use. The introduction of delivery drones has stimulated discussion of what the technology can accomplish in terms of reduced vehicle travel. Delivery drones have the potential to change last-mile delivery economics for smaller and lighter packages as they could replace many deliveries currently made by traditional delivery vehicles.

        A differentiator in the space will be those that can add delivery through drones. Uber is already on the move, allegedly designing a drone delivery system called UberExpress that could be operational by 2021, according to a recent report by the Wall Street Journal. The company is participating in a drone pilot program in North Carolina.