The scuffle between online and bricks-and-mortar retail models has dragged on for too long. After all, both have their advantages. Online shopping is convenient, you can do it from the comfort of your home, and you can compare prices without leaving your sofa. On the other hand, shopping on the high street enables you to try out the products and you don’t have to wait for your items to arrive by mail.
Retailers are trying to create a shopping experience that has the advantages of both online and bricks-and-mortar models. For instance, you can order online and then collect your items personally.
Amazon’s Prime Air service takes convenience a step further: you place your order and 30 minutes later, a drone will land in your front garden with the package. Except that, for now at least, you will have to wait for a bit longer because the online giant retailer’s service is still grounded.
The technology is there – in fact, Amazon has been developing its Prime Air delivery system for the past few years. However, the service still hasn’t been deployed due to safety and aviation issues.
In the US, Amazon has been lobbying with the Federal Aviation Administration, arguing that its drone delivery service would be safer than the US government thinks. Amazon says that the drones would mostly fly at least 200 feet off the ground and would rely on sensors and computers to select a route to customers’ doors while avoiding hazards. However, the FAA’s proposed rules would be a stumbling block for Amazon as they propose to not allow drones to carry commercial cargo. Moreover, FAA’s proposed rules require drones to be flown within sight of an operator and prohibit flights of 16 kilometres or longer.
However, it’s not just Amazon that is fighting the battle for cargo drones. Other companies, including Google, have petitioned the FAA for changes to the draft regulations controlling cargo drones.
Other companies are testing their drone operations. DHL, for instance, will soon launch a pilot project in Europe to test how drones can be used to deliver urgently needed goods. DHL will be testing its parcelcopter on the North Sea island of Juist – this will be the first time in Europe that a flight by an unmanned aircraft will be operated outside of the pilot’s field of vision in a real-life mission.
Outside the military context, there is still a degree of caution about flying unmanned aircraft in urban areas
But while in the commercial cargo industry, drones are struggling to take off, in the military field they are winning the proverbial war. The US military has been using its own K-Max unmanned cargo helicopters for some time. In 2011, the US Marine Corps deployed two K-Max helicopters to Afghanistan to deliver supplies to remote bases. These unmanned helicopters can carry over 2,500kg of supplies and can fly for long hours and in all conditions. Such is their precision that they can place a pallet on the ground within three metres of a designated spot. By the end of 2014, these K-Max unmanned helicopters were used to deliver thousands of tonnes of supplies and proved an efficient alternative to road convoys.
Outside the military context, there is still a degree of caution about flying unmanned aircraft in urban areas. However, eventually legislation and politics will catch up with technology and a scenario where most cargo – from the smallest package to large supplies – will be delivered using unmanned aircraft will become a reality.
In the meantime, cargo drone technology is being constantly tested and updated. Last year, thanks to a UK government grant, University of Southampton researchers developed an unmanned aerial vehicle. What is different about this drone is that most of its parts – including fuselage and fuel tank – were built using a 3D printer. The researchers have also started a programme, called Hiatus, which is aimed to prove that their drone can be a prototype for next-generation cargo planes.
Apart from air cargo, it is expected that drones will also play a key role in the delivery of cargo by sea. Rolls-Royce, for instance, is currently designing unmanned cargo ships. According to Rolls-Royce’s Blue Ocean development team, unmanned cargo ships will be safer, cheaper and less polluting than the current shipping industry, which carries 90 per cent of world trade. Rolls-Royce is planning to deploy unmanned cargo ships within a decade.
The future looks like it will be largely automated, with self-drive cars on the roads and cargo being delivered by unmanned drones and cargo ships. But can we sit back and relax? Not really, because we will still need to legislate and constantly develop technology to ensure safe operation.