Amazon is currently stating that their aim is to use drones to deliver to its future Prime Air customers, which will mean parcels are dispatched and delivered within 30 minutes from as early as 2015. The unmanned aircraft will be able to transport packages of up to five pounds and will most likely be operated by carefully developed, unique GPS system from Amazon HQs around the world.
With Amazon being one of the largest global eCommerce sites, it is most likely that other big names will soon follow suit and begin to research drone technology as a way to improve delivery efficiency, leaving many of us wondering if drones really are the future of parcel delivery or whether ‘old-fashioned’ shipping processes will continue their reign?
The Potential Issues
With all great technological advances, there are potential problems and issues that can prevent them from existence. Whilst unmanned drones might help speed up the dispatch and delivery time, there may still be logistical issues with accuracy and cost. Unlike a courier or postal van, drones are vastly limited to the amount they carry and may only be able to deliver to one address, which may end up being high-cost that will be reflected in the customer’s delivery charges.Along with the issues regarding whether a drone’s delivery method is cost-effective, there will also be increased risks of interception of packages and potential damage customer’s orders, unless the drones are programmed to adapt to fragility of orders. There are also potential issues surrounding the effect the drones may have on the environment if they become mass used.
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Quick Delivery, Quick Manufacture?
Just because the drones will be quick to deliver, doesn’t necessarily mean that they will be quickly manufactured, as companies will have to make sure that the drones are near-faultless to avoid any potential issues and incidents regarding delivery and safety. In order to ensure that the drones are manufactured to a high quality that prevents breakages, the parts used will have to be strong and durable.In order to make sure that the parts created to manufacture the drones are sturdy and durable, those delivery services who are planning on using drones will have to use production and engineering techniques to make sure that they are.
CNC engineering is one of the safest ways to create durable parts as rather than weld pieces together, so is most likely going to be the best way to create parts to be used in delivery drone manufacture. CNC machines work to drill or bore parts from a solid piece of material, meaning that they are better at bearing weight amongst other things.
Truly the Future?
Along with the design and logistics needing attention, the use of drones as a delivery service also needs approval from the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), who are currently considering what regulations are needed for unmanned drones.Once the FAA approve the use of drones for delivery purposes, and set clear regulations, then there is a definite chance that unmanned aircrafts will be used in parcel delivery, but, due to cost of delivery using the method and the limited weight that the drone can carry, it is likely that although drones delivery is definitely a part of the future, it will be a long time before the skies are filled with internet shopping deliveries.
Beth StubbingsAbout the Author:
Beth Stubbings is unsure about whether drones are the future of deliveries as she is aware of the issues surrounding them. Interested in the way parts are manufactured, she would recommend Griffith's Engineering to companies looking to have CNC engineered parts created for their business.