We are pretty sure that you know how popular drones became in the last few years, and how people keep finding new ways to implement them in the everyday life and work. We have all seen drones being used for wedding photography and filming, real estate, roof inspections and many more things, but what about delivery? This is still uncharted territory, but some major companies like Amazon and UPS are working on making a delivery system that will use drones to deliver the packages. Since this is not a simple as one might think, we will not see drones flying around and delivering packages in the next year or two, but this idea will definitely not be put under a rug and it will be realized in less than 5 years from now, at least, that is how we see it.

The Drone Delivery Idea and why this is so Interesting

The general idea behind the drone delivery craze is that you would be able to order virtually anything with just a click of a mouse, and you would only receive a message after half an hour or less, to go out and take what you ordered from a drone that would land on your front lawn! Imagine how cool and convenient that would be! The drone delivery could be implemented in all kinds of businesses. The most obvious examples would be Amazon, UPS, and similar delivery companies, but who said that pizzas wouldn’t be delivered this way, or groceries from your favorite market, or even coffee from Starbucks.

Furthermore, drones could be used to deliver medical supplies to distant or otherwise unreachable areas. Imagine for instance that someone was to order various medical supplies from somewhere similar to https://instamed.nl or the likes, to have those medical supplies delivered to a rural area with not much access, this is where drone delivery can become life-changing for those in unreachable locations. There are even some concepts that include a defibrillator and having a doctor on the line to guide whoever is beside the drone if reanimating a person is needed. Defibrillators are such useful medical devices, but they aren’t always accessible. Normally, they will be kept locked in cabinets, so it can be time-consuming to get them to the person who needs them. Drones could deliver these defibrillators over to people who need them quickly. Hopefully, those defibrillators will have program management services for AEDs to make sure they are working correctly. That would be useful, especially in times where there is an emergency. Other concepts include large drones that would also have the first aid emergency kits, but they would also be capable of taking the person in need of a medical attention on board, and “delivering” that person to the nearest medical center.

Why Aren’t Delivery Drones Up In the Air Yet?

As we mentioned already, using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle to deliver a package is not that simple. There are numerous factors that need to be considered before even thinking of doing something like this and the first and most important one is the Law.

The Law

For example, the first obstacle is the FAA. One of the current problematic rules, doesn’t allow you to let the drone go on a fully autonomous flight, especially for commercial purposes, which would help delivery companies cut back on costs for drone operators, or they could have one man operating an entire fleet of autonomous UAVs. For now, drones still need licensed pilots behind the controls, and if you want to find out more on the topic of drone piloting, we suggest checking out the How to Fly a Drone article, where you will find tips and explanations on how to become a pro pilot.

The Weight of the Cargo

As you probably already know, drones are not famous for being able to lift a heavy cargo safely in the air. So, this is another problem that still keeps this idea, an idea not a reality. Extra weight demands extra power, and with the extra power (read – much larger capacity batteries and bigger and heavier motors) the overall weight of the drone increases, thus the flight time becomes shorter and that means that the distance the drone can cover on one battery is shorter.

Security of the Cargo

Another thing that drone delivery companies need to think about is the security of the cargo. Since delivery drones would go on autonomous flights (if the law starts allowing that), both the vehicle and the cargo would be unprotected from the possible hijacking. Therefore, delivery companies would have to use tracking devices in such an unfortunate event. They would also have to come up with a solution that would keep the cargo undamaged and unreachable to possible theft, in the case of a crash, and to keep it safe from the rain and snow. This means that some kind of safety capsules would have to be used, and that adds to the overall weight.

The Distance They Can Cover

As we mentioned, drones can’t cover large distances (not including the military long-range drones but that’s a different kind entirely), and this is a major drawback for delivery companies. They would have to restrict the deliveries on a local level, not global, meaning that you could only have your goods delivered by a drone if you are close to the company’s delivery center. Anyone just a little bit outside the catchment zone may currently be better off finding a same day delivery courier sydney to get their parcel quickly. This could be solved by opening many distribution centers, but then the economic viability of the entire process would be questioned.

Final Thoughts on This Idea

As you can see, the possibilities are numerous, and as the technology evolves, the use of drones in everyday life will expand and soon we will be seeing swarms of drones flying in the sky, making our lives easier and more convenient. But, for now, there are too many obstacles on that path and too many things that need to be considered before this idea becomes a reality. But mark our words, it will definitely become a reality, it is just a matter of time.