While it’s still far-fetched, the idea of ordering something online and having it delivered to your doorstep within an hour is closer to reality than it ever has been before. E-commerce giant Amazon and parcel shipping company UPS are both working on drove delivery services, with both companies testing out the airborne delivery bots this year. What’s happening behind the scenes to make this ultra-convenient small parcel delivery service a reality? That’s the focus of this next installment of our “Shaping the Future” blog series.

Drone Delivery: Convenience for Customers and Drivers

Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos first let the public know about the idea of using drones for delivery in December 2013 on “60 Minutes.” Since then, the company has faced roadblock after roadblock from the Federal Aviation Administration but continues to push forward with hopes of deploying small packages to the homes of its customers not only the same day but within the hour, if possible.

Where would these drones “hang out” until go time? According to Digital Trends, Amazon revealed its plan for an airborne fulfillment center; essentially a warehouse suspended from a blimp that would double as a takeoff and landing zone for its Prime Air drones.

According to USA Today, UPS tested its truck-launched drone delivery system in Lithia, Fla. in February 2017. Their system is a little different than Amazon’s and is aimed to help make rural deliveries more efficient for its drivers. Essentially, the drone travels along with the UPS truck and works in a “triangle pattern” of deliveries. While the delivery driver makes one delivery in the bottom left of the triangle, the autonomous drone can fly ahead to a location at the top of the “triangle.” The delivery driver then travels to the next destination, the bottom right of the “triangle,” and the autonomous drone meets back up, landing safely on the top of the truck.

In early February of this year, another package delivery giant, FedEx, announced a different route in their foreseeable future. According to MIT Technology Review, FedEx Chief Information Officer Rob Carter said autonomous vehicles make more sense than Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) when it comes to automated deliveries.

Testing for all Situations

In a perfect world, drone delivery would be simple. A controlled environment where a customer places an order, the package leaves the fulfillment center, goes for a nice smooth trip, and then lands on the customer’s front porch in pretty packaging.

Obviously, it’s not a perfect world, and there are unforeseen circumstances that can get in the way. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been a lot of drone delivery testing in the United States because of Federal Aviation Administration rules. While Amazon and UPS are testing their new delivery methods, some of the locations remain unknown.

This week, Amazon took their testing a bit further, according to Business Insider, testing to see how a drone would respond to a potential “protective pup” at a delivery destination. According to IBTimes, the tests do not involve real dogs, but simulate how a drone would react to a “canine trying to protect its territory.”

Drones in Logistics

There’s a lot of talk on the topic of drones, especially in last-mile logistics, some saying its far-fetched and others standing behind the use of drones in order fulfillment. No matter how you spin it, the reality of the unmanned craft delivering goods to customers becomes more and more within reach.

In recent news, a start-up company called Natilus wants to use the drone delivery approach as an alternative to air or ocean shipping. Currently ocean freight can involve weeks of transit time, and the air alternative option can be fairly costly. According to Supply Chain Digest, Nautilis plans to test a concept drone this summer, making a trip between Los Angeles and Hawaii in about 30 hours this summer.

Still, the major roadblock for drones in logistics continues to be regulations set in place by the FAA. There are also some questions up in the air about the safety of packages being delivered via drone, and if the packages themselves would be brought right to the customer’s front door, or if they would be dropped via parachute, in parcel delivery. Nautilis believes government regulations would require its drones to take off and land on the water.

To read the latest drone regulations, visit the FAA’s website here.

Timeline

At this time, Amazon and UPS are not giving specific timelines for when their drones would be making actual customer deliveries. Nautilis says it plans to have a 200-foot drone that would undergo testing and certification by the year 2020.

As a third-party logistics (3PL) company, we welcome and embrace change in technology. We will continue to use our relationships with our carrier network to provide the best shipping arrangement services. We hope you’re enjoying our “Shaping the Future” blog series. Thank you for reading!