Are drones the future of delivery services?

DW (English)

Roads and railways are congested, and air freight is expensive and harms the climate. Are drones the future of package delivery? How can we best organize and regulate modern drone traffic?

Transcript

00:00Drones have long been seen as the future of delivery services.

00:05From parcels to food and even medical supplies.

00:09Less traffic, fewer emissions, delivering even to remote areas.

00:16Sounds perfect, right?

00:19Well, not quite.

00:21The skies above us are crowded with more and more aircraft.

00:24If thousands of drones are added to the mix, how can they all share the same airspace?

00:30Especially in densely populated urban areas.

00:33The idea of sharing the sky is simple.

00:36The lower airspace belongs to drones, while higher altitudes are reserved for airplanes.

00:42Just like roads on the ground, highways for drones will be essential.

00:46Drone corridors are currently being tested and developed around the world.

00:52Britain is working on a pretty big one.

00:55A 265 km route connecting several towns and cities.

01:02Drones can enter the corridor at any point.

01:08A monitoring system will detect potential collisions and redirect the unmanned aircraft.

01:14It's still a work in progress, but once completed, it promises to be a significant step forward in drone delivery.

01:22The system is set to be available for commercial use by early 2025.

01:28I think that's one of the best ways we could organize a lot of drones flying in one airspace at the same time.

01:34Because we do the same thing with manned aviation.

01:36And most manned aircraft, they don't fly wherever they want.

01:39They follow corridors in the sky.

01:41The drone corridors are just one piece of the infrastructure puzzle.

01:46A major challenge would be integrating drones with the manned airspace system.

01:52Because that's where the main safety aspect comes into place.

01:56Heavier drones require a remote ID.

01:59Basically a license plate for drones.

02:03They can be tracked and assigned to an owner.

02:06Crucial in the case of accidents, for example.

02:09The drones are also controlled by a detect and avoid system to prevent collisions.

02:15After a hopefully safe journey, they need somewhere to touch down.

02:19At the moment, drones are still not allowed anywhere near airports.

02:23But in the future, landing areas could be added to them.

02:27There would also be arrival pads in city centers.

02:31But even if you live in the city, you probably won't get your delivery at your doorstep.

02:36You still need to go somewhere to pick it up.

02:40If the landing spot is close by, you might be notified by this telltale sound.

02:52Most people, when they think of a drone, they think of a small DJI quadcopter that doesn't make a lot of noise.

02:58But if you're doing something for drone package delivery, it needs to be a much larger UAV.

03:04They sound like almost lawnmowers running next to your heads.

03:07When Amazon tested drone delivery in College Station, Texas, residents complained about the noise,

03:13prompting the mayor to write a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration.

03:18Amazon insists that the new drones are quieter.

03:21Let's assume everything works out.

03:24Drones aren't too loud, flying happily in their drone corridors,

03:28monitored by safe systems and kept away from airplanes.

03:32That solves lots of issues, except for one major legal one.

03:37In countries such as the U.S. and India, the airspace above homes belongs to landowners.

03:43We are still in a phase where there is a decision making to be done

03:49as to what might be the threshold at which or above which the drones can freely operate.

03:56In the U.S., the idea of a marketplace has been introduced to offer landowners a monetary incentive.

04:03They can rent or sell their airspace to be used by drones.

04:08Besides the challenges of integration,

04:10the global market for drone services is forecast to grow significantly in the years to come.

04:16One country that wants to be part of that is India.

04:19With liberalized regulations and incentive schemes,

04:23the country wants to become a drone hub by 2030.

04:28We can say approximately around 2030 we might have a basic infrastructure

04:33where we see an integration of drones with manned airspace in a limited manner.

04:40So when will your pizza be delivered by a drone?

04:43Not for a while yet.

04:46Although the technology is advanced,

04:49various uncertainties remain regarding regulations, safety, and disruptions to everyday life.

04:55And honestly, we'd better take it slow

04:58because drones dropping out of the sky could cause serious injuries or material damage.

05:04Drones could revolutionize delivery services,

05:07though whether they will actually deliver to your doorstep isn't clear yet,

05:11and who knows whether it's really safe to have countless drones buzzing around in the air.

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