Most students are familiar with drones from footage in the media, and low-end devices are now affordable enough for enthusiasts to get directly involved. Meanwhile, on the commercial side, logistics companies like Amazon (Prime Air), DHL and UPS are investigating the use of drones for parcel distribution—particularly 'last mile' deliveries in rural areas where conventional vans and trucks can struggle. Google's X 'moonshot factory' is also doing R&D on delivery drones under its Project Wing.
As far as public acceptance is concerned, the position on drone deliveries seems to be 'interested but wary'. An online survey conducted by the US Postal Service in June 2016 found that while three-quarters of the 1,465 respondents expected drone delivery by 2021, less than half (44 percent) liked the idea. Drone malfunction was the main concern (46 percent) with theft (16 percent) and intentional misuse (14 percent) much less serious worries. Speedy delivery was the main reason for interest in the technology, with emergency delivery also highly ranked. In the UK, the IMRG Consumer Home Delivery Review 2016 found that only a quarter of its 1,280 survey respondents (25.6 percent) would be prepared to have parcels delivered by drone—up slightly from the previous year's survey (23.8 percent).
NASA's proposed air traffic control system, or UTM, will safely manage drone operations in the airspace above buildings and below crewed aircraft operations in suburban and urban areas.
Image: NASA
Regulation will be a key factor in the future of delivery drones. In the US, this is the remit of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), whose strict Part 107 Rules allow a certified pilot to fly a single drone so long as the entire system weighs less than 55 pounds (25kg), the flight remains within line of sight of the operator and doesn't cross national or state borders. Other Part 107 restrictions are that drone flights must take place in daylight, remain in Class G (uncontrolled, low-altitude) airspace, cannot be operated from a moving vehicle or pass over anyone not directly participating in the operation.
The FAA can provide waivers to these rules on application, and is in the process of amending and broadening them—something that will be required for the sort of operations envisaged by Amazon and others. It's no coincidence that the first Prime Air demonstration was in the UK, where the regulations are somewhat less restrictive.
Meanwhile, NASA is developing an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Traffic Management system, or UTM. This is essentially automated air traffic control for drones—another key component of a commercial drone ecosystem. Alternatively...
Regulatory issues surrounding delivery drones and larger CAVs have led Starship Technologies—whose co-founders are Janus Friis and Ahti Heinla of Skype fame—to take a more down-to-earth route: Starship's small six-wheeled self-driving robot can operate within a 3km (2-mile) radius, delivering goods such as parcels, groceries and food in 15-30 minutes.
By October 2017 Starship robots had clocked up 100,000km of driving, with pilot programs including a pizza delivery service in partnership with Domino's.
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Regulation will be a key factor in the future of delivery drones. In the US, this is the remit of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), whose strict Part 107 Rules allow a certified pilot to fly a single drone so long as the entire system weighs less than 55 pounds (25kg), the flight remains within line of sight of the operator and doesn't cross national or state borders. Other Part 107 restrictions are that drone flights must take place in daylight, remain in Class G (uncontrolled, low-altitude) airspace, cannot be operated from a moving vehicle or pass over anyone not directly participating in the operation.
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