A new generation of self-directed delivery vehicles in the sizes of airplanes have been designed with the capability of carrying cargo weighing over a hundred pounds for over a hundred miles. These new machines are called cargo drones. They are fast, more environmentally friendly and they will be a beneficial addition to the industry of cargo delivery.
These drones that are made to deliver properties are currently being tested to see if they can transport certain cargo to clients that need them and are close by. More than a few months ago, the tech company known as Amazon made an announcement that it would be dropping parcels at the very doors of its customers. Wing, a subsidiary of Alphabet got an approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to make certain deliveries within the United States and UPS has also announced that it is running its own tests on its delivery drones by delivering medical supplies to hospitals that are in Northern Virginia. But will all these new advancements in technology, there are certain issues that come with it, for example, there’s the issue of safety and how the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will control them.
Cargo drones provide the advantage of being fast in delivery as well as reduced cost when it comes to burning carbon needed for travel in a very huge scale. Rather than transporting lots of goods in a truck at a particular set time, the cargo drones can transport a couple of goods frequently without having to make an impingement. They will be totally centred on making deliveries to rural areas and travelling back and forth between distribution centres, more so, they are designed to land on water and they can take-off vertically and as such making the drops more pliant.
These cargo drones are of various sizes and shapes. The Boeing cargo air vehicles has a weight of 747 pounds, eight rotors that allow it to fly vertically and, it can carry cargo that weighs about 500 pounds. Sabrewing, a startup based in California is currently developing a prototype cargo drone that can run at a speed of about 180 knots (that is, 207 miles per hour) with a travelling altitude that’s about 22,000 feet high. Natilus, another startup is working to develop a prototype that can achieve a 30,000 feet cruising altitude and has the size and weight of a military Predator drone.
All the companies that we have mentioned so far have spent a great deal of time working to develop these drones with high capacity surreptitiously, however now, they are all racing to see whose product will get to the sky first. Nautilus, Sichuan Tengden Technology, and Elroy Air are looking at the year 2020 to get their products working. Elroy Air for example designed its self-running Chaparral system to have it deliver medical supplies, for disaster responses, and for isolated military missions. The company also has the desire to work with FedEx, DHL, or UPS in a partnership to deliver parcels.
Morgan Stanley has estimated that self-driving urban crafts will become a $1.5 trillion industry by the year 2040. This including vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, flying taxis, military unmanned aerial vehicals (UAVs), and delivery drones. Though, getting people used to delivery drones will not be an easy task.
