The Internet has had a tremendous impact on how we live and work. Shopping is one such thing. Online shopping has not only allowed people to explore new possibilities, but it has also allowed them to have items delivered to their homes. However, drone deliveries have transformed the entire process of online buying and home delivery. Drone Delivery Canada and Amazon, USA are two companies that are responsible for this transformation.
Drone Delivery Canada and Amazon, USA, are two different companies that do home delivery through drones. While Prime Air got lime light due to its parent company Amazon, Drone Delivery Canada is pioneer company who transformed logistics industry through drones.
| Character | Drone Delivery Canada | Amazon Drone Delivery |
| Founded in year | 2014 | Started in year 2016 |
| Origin | Toronto, Canada | United Stated |
| Purpose | To radically transform logistic industry to increase safety and efficiency of delivery services. | To provide a better and faster services by Fulfillment By Amazon. |
| Delivers | Drone Delivery Canada is determined to serve across various industries such as: Healthcare, gas & mining, courier and logistics and many more. | Products served at Amazon.com |
Drone Delivery Canada
Drone Delivery Canada is a publicly listed, groundbreaking, pioneering technology business that designs, develops, and deploys commercially viable drone-based logistics systems for government, commercial, industrial, and retail customers throughout the world.
How does drone works?
To reduce weight and boost speed, most unmanned aircraft are built of light composite materials. Because of the strength of the composite material, military drones can fly at incredibly high altitudes.
UAV drones are outfitted with cutting-edge technology such as infrared cameras, GPS, and laser range finders (consumer, commercial and military UAV). Drones are piloted using remote ground control systems (GSC), often known as a ground cockpit.
The drone and the control system are the two components of an unmanned aerial vehicle system.
The nose of the unmanned aerial vehicle houses all of the sensors and navigational equipment. Because there is no room for humans, the rest of the body is filled with drone technological systems.
The drone’s engineering materials are highly sophisticated composites designed to absorb vibration and reduce the amount of noise produced. These materials are exceptionally light.
Are Drone Deliveries the Logistics Industry’s Long-Term Future?
The race to develop autonomous drone deliveries – utilising either flying drones or wheeled robots – is being pushed by two key goals: speedier deliveries and lower costs.
Last-mile delivery is generally costly and inefficient, necessitating multiple stops by trucks and vans, causing traffic congestion and carbon emissions. As the popularity of eCommerce grows, many purchases increasingly contain only one or two small products, prompting online retailers and parcel delivery companies to look for faster, less expensive – and, ideally, greener – delivery options.
“Last-mile delivery is the most expensive and inefficient part of the whole supply chain.”
- Jeff Zhang, President, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence
In terms of cost, robots and drones outperform human drivers, owing to their ability to work independently at any time of day or night, without pay, holidays, or sick days. With the rapid growth of electric vehicles, battery technology is developing on a daily basis, resulting in new models that are smaller, lighter, more powerful, and charge faster. Drones and robots are becoming cheaper to construct and run as a result of these quick advancements, as well as the exponential expansion of battery manufacturing, which has driven prices down over 50% in the previous three years.
Autonomous drones can drastically reduce the amount of delivery trucks and vans on the road, which is good for the environment. And, because they’re wholly electric, they have the ability to run entirely on renewable energy, resulting in zero emissions.
What Are Delivery Drones and How Do They Work?
Although it may appear futuristic, the basic premise of a delivery drone is rather simple: it is an autonomous unit that uses GPS to bring a parcel to a certain place.
But, of course, translating this simple concept into a dependable, secure, and scalable system is where things become tricky.
There are two basic principles in development in the world of autonomous delivery:
1. Flying Delivery Drones
Delivery drones that fly, also known as “rotary drones,” are comparable to consumer models that have been popular in recent years. Drones are battery-powered and include a number of little propellers that allow them to easily move up, down, forward, and backwards, as well as stop and change direction.
The majority of delivery drones are built to transport small parcels over a short distance, either from a delivery van or a local distribution centre. While some types are still piloted by humans, many more are now totally self-contained, relying on GPS, satellites, and internal sensors to deliver packages to a specific place while avoiding obstacles.
2. Package Delivery Robots
Delivery drones that fly, also known as “rotary drones,” and are comparable to consumer models that have been popular in recent years. Drones are battery-powered and include a number of little propellers that allow them to easily move up, down, forward, and backwards, as well as stop and change direction.
The majority of delivery drones are built to transport small parcels over a short distance, either from a delivery van or a local distribution centre. While some types are still piloted by humans, many more are now totally self-contained, relying on GPS, satellites, and internal sensors to deliver packages to a specific place while avoiding obstacles.
Are Delivery Drones Better for the Environment?
Despite advancements in fuel efficiency and the rise of electric vehicles, the commercial transportation sector continues to be one of the world’s largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Transportation accounts for 28% of total carbon emissions in the United States, with delivery vehicles such as medium and heavy-duty trucks accounting for almost a quarter of that.
Most global eCommerce and parcel delivery companies have declared aggressive ambitions to decarbonize their supply chains and delivery networks in response to shifting customer attitudes and governments imposing rigorous environmental standards. While electric vehicles have gotten a lot of attention – and rightfully so — autonomous drones and robots are an important part of many of their carbon-reduction plans.
“Delivery bots, RDVs, and drones are set to displace millions of truck and van deliveries over the next decade, as they are far smaller, more flexible, lower in cost, and naturally suitable for automation and electrification.”
Ryan Citron, Navigant Research
There are a number of issues to consider when analysing the environmental consequences of unmanned drones and robots:
- When they deploy, where do they go, and how far do they travel?
- Their weight is large.
- Their package’s dimensions and weight (s)
- The battery technology that was used
- Electricity source, including the proportion of renewables in the local grid
- The amount of new warehouses required to accommodate demand for drones.
In practically every case, flying drones are more environmentally benign than petrol and diesel trucks, regardless of the factors. According to Smithsonian Magazine, when used to deliver small products over short distances, they emit between 23% and 54 % less than trucks, depending on the percentage of renewable energy in the local grid.
The environmental benefits of flying delivery drones decrease as their size grows, as they take more batteries and energy to traverse each kilometre. While drones were marginally greener than diesel trucks for carrying heavier things, the Smithsonian investigation concluded that there may be more advantage in adopting electric delivery vehicles instead.
Delivery robots have similar environmental advantages, as they run on electricity rather than gasoline or diesel, reducing the number of vehicles and vans on the road. Because wheeled robots can arrive in a short amount of time, they have the potential to drastically minimise the billions of missed and re-attempted deliveries that occur each year.
Of course, the ideal case would be for all electric drones and robots to be recharged using on-site renewable energy sources such as rooftop solar panels, which would make every delivery fully emission-free while cutting operational costs significantly.
With the rising adoption of solar and wind energy around the world, it appears that all forms of electric parcel delivery, including flying drones, delivery robots, and electric vehicles, will only get greener over time.
The Complicated Legalities of Autonomous Deliveries
Despite the unique advantages for eCommerce businesses, numerous complex legal and legislative issues must be resolved before autonomous drones can become a popular solution.
Naturally, there are concerns about security, safety, and responsibility. What happens if they clash with people, animals, or other things? Will they be targeted for theft and vandalism right away? What happens if a drone crashes from the sky and lands on someone or something?
And, while there may not be many definitive answers at this point, conversations are well underway.
In the United States, Amazon and FedEx are quietly negotiating with at least a dozen states to pass legislation permitting the use of delivery robots, with six states already approving legislation. Despite the allure of large-scale investment and increased company growth, many governments are cautious to give the go-ahead until they have a clearer grasp of how the technology works in practise.
Rules governing the size and weight of delivery robots, their movement speed, and their capacity to safely manoeuvre around people, objects, and animals are all included in the various bills.
“I’m worried about it walking up on a person and losing control, or getting stuck in a pothole, or climbing up a person’s porch and falling through.”
- Adam Hollier, Michigan State Senator
The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) regulates flying delivery drones in the United States, and all models, whether hobby or commercial, must stay within a visual line of sight at all times and fly no higher than 120 metres. There are other regulations governing airspace limitations, meteorological conditions, and safety precautions in the event of drone failure in mid-flight.
Amazon, UPS, and Alphabet are among the most well-known corporations to have received FAA clearance as official “drone airlines,” allowing them to begin testing deliveries under strict limits. With the rapid rise of completely autonomous drones – especially those that interact with people – it appears that most of the new legislation is being created from scratch.
Are We Ready for Robots to Deliver Our Packages?
Despite the unsolved problems about safety and liability, maybe the most pressing concern is whether we are ready for autonomous robots to populate our skies, sidewalks, and neighbourhoods. However, the benefits of automated drone deliveries will quickly exceed the disadvantages, at least in the eyes of big eCommerce and logistics organisations.
“No one wants hundreds of annoying gnats flying over their homes every day, but very few people will care if our aircraft flies over because they won’t hear it. And unless they’re looking, they won’t see it.”
Even with extensive legal agreements and pilot projects all around the world, there will surely be a lot of trial and error as the new technology becomes more widely available. Everyone may follow the mantra “safety is our top priority,” but no one knows what to expect once drones begin delivering packages on a large scale – or who will be held responsible if something goes wrong.
But one thing is certain: if we thought eCommerce had evolved significantly in the previous five years, the next five will be unlike anything we’ve ever seen.
While some of us may never fully embrace machines delivering our things, the appeal of receiving orders in minutes rather than days will surely be too strong for many individuals to refuse.