It’s an ecommerce kind of world, and this doesn’t look like it will change anytime soon. Certainly, there have been some shifts back to brick-and-mortar retail shops and stores, but the convenience, ease, and accessibility that ecommerce offers will continue to attract consumers. However, one thing continues to be problematic, and that relates to supply chains. The pandemic highlighted consumer dependency on a highly functional supply chain. Last-mile delivery transportation is often one of the most important and costly variables. This is why drone-based deliveries have been considered to alleviate some of these variations and expenses. However, things have been relatively quiet as of late concerning the future of delivery with drones… until now.
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In recent weeks, some major developments in the future of delivery with drones have taken place. As one might expect, Amazon has made recent announcements regarding its drone-based delivery of packages. Likewise, Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has also made some key moves in this area as well. Over the last few years, new insights have been gained that encourages delivery companies to consider a new approach. Delivery networks are no longer trying to work in isolation but instead with other transportation options. It’s precisely this reconfiguration that has given delivery drones new life. While many believed too many impracticalities existed for the future of delivery with drones, it appears things are moving forward. And believe it or not, you might be receiving your own drone-based deliveries sooner rather than later.
Drone-Based Deliveries in Dallas
Although you may have never heard of them, Serve Robotics is a well-established robotics company. The company was a spinoff of Postmates in 2021, which was an app-based delivery service. Since that time, Serve has been backed by Uber as well as Nvidia and has been involved in robotic deliveries. More recently, however, Serve entered into a partnership with Wing Aviation, a subsidiary of Alphabet. Wing represents Alphabet’s effort to advance drone-based deliveries, and partnering with Serve made perfect sense. In essence, Wing will provide drones and related systems while Serve connects drones with food source via robotics. Such an arrangement is believed to reflect a better future of delivery with drones.
Serve food delivery robots are already in operation. Working alongside Uber Eats, Serve robots have been delivering food to L.A. neighborhoods for a few years. These robots can travel up to 6 miles per hour, predominantly by sidewalk, and they have a range of 25 miles. They can also carry up to 50 pounds of food. However, Wing Aviation and Serve just announced that these same robots will be part of drone-based deliveries in Dallas, Texas, soon. Serve robots will collect the food from restaurants and then delivery the food to a Wing Auto-loader station. The Auto-loader will then load the meals onto Wing drones for the final few miles. Not only can these drones avoid traffic and congestion, but they can also travel at 65 mph. For Dallas, the future of delivery with drones has arrived.
The International Future of Delivery with Drones
Wing Aviation and Serve aren’t the only companies making waves when it comes to drone-based deliveries. Amazon announced last month that it would soon be launching its own drone delivery network in the United Kingdom in about a year. It’s worth noting that Amazon is already operating its Prime Air with drones in California and Texas for some deliveries. But the recent report highlights Amazon’s plans for the future of deliveries with drones abroad. In addition to partnering with the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority, Amazon also plans to expand into Italy as well. Given Amazon’s reach, this is not surprising, especially since Amazon already has an extensive supply chain and last-mile delivery network.
(The last mile for deliveries is the toughest–read why in this Bold story.)
Interestingly, the CAA in the UK is being very proactive when it comes to drone-based deliveries. In fact, the Amazon project is just one of six different ones being implemented. This doesn’t mean that the UK is being lax in its future of delivery with drones. The opposite is actually true with drones being required to fly beyond the visual line of sight. Drones must also have tight navigational controls and the ability to detect other aircraft. Amazon is able to comply with these requirements, and it plans to integrate its drones within its existing delivery networks. Thus, like Wing and Serve, Amazon recognizes that drones can best enhance deliveries through a multi-channel network system. If this proves effective, expect continued international expansion of drone-based deliveries by Amazon.
Why Drone Deliveries Will Happen
Based on these recent developments in drone-based deliveries, it would appear that last-mile operations may soon change. Other companies invested in ecommerce will likely jump on board in an effort to compete. And regulatory agencies will need to reassess their own requirements for safety and oversight. While these adjustments will be necessary, it is evident that drones offer a number of advantages. In addition to being more efficient and faster, they are also climate friendly. Drones do not produce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, and they operate much more quietly that delivery vehicles. This includes many autonomous ones. These are the benefits that support the future of delivery with drones. It would seem that prior obstacles are being rapidly removed while the advantages of drones are being increasingly appreciated.
The major shift that has occurred in recent years is the realization that drone-based deliveries do not have to be drone-only. By having drone only perform near-site deliveries, many of the logistical and safety complexities are eliminated. At the same time, companies like Amazon can leverage their existing delivery networks to enable this to occur. Rather than investing in entirely new networks, existing systems can complement drone-based ones. The same is true for robotics systems that are already operating for deliveries. Having shown that Serve robotics is functional for deliveries, drones can seal the deal more effectively in the final leg. Combined with more advanced technologies, these are the systems that have better evolved as of late. And it’s these developments that will support the future of delivery with drones in the months to come.
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