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Switzerland Begins Trials of Expensive Postal Drones
An anonymous reader writes: Swiss Post has beat Amazon, Alibaba and other researchers into drone-based delivery by launching practical drops using a Matternet four-rotored drone this month. However the company says that five years of testing and negotiation with regulators lie ahead before it will be able to offer a commercial drone-based delivery service. Like Google's Project Wing, the Matternet drone in question is mooted as a potential lifeline in post-disaster situations, but from a business point of view the release notes its potential for 'express delivery of goods' — a further indicator that the future of postal drone delivery may be an exclusive and expensive one.
Can a 4 rotor continue flying, or at least make an emergency landing without flying wildly or crashing, if one rotor goes out?
With a max load package?
For that matter, can a 6?
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
Somewhere in the Swiss Alps, a poor delivery drone lies buried in an avalanche, only to be rescued by a Saint Bernard trained how to change drone batteries.
Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
Some people seem eager for self driving cars but an autonomous vehicle carrying passengers seems to raise a lot of flags. Why not put them into service, initially, as delivery vehicles. Would that be easier to get through regulators than the airborne option?
Was disappointed.
In sub-urban and rural areas I think drone-based delivery can be cost-effective. I think the key is to use a hybrid model with a "drone carrier" truck which serves as a mobile base station so the drones are only making relatively short flights. Imagine a truck that pulls into a sub-urban neighborhood, stops in one central location and then launches a dozen drones to deliver packages to all of the homes within a half mile or so. Or perhaps the truck might not even have to stop, but just drive along launching drones which deliver along its path and then return to it, still in motion.
The advantage to the delivery service is that they could deliver to many nearby locations simultaneously, and trucks wouldn't have to be able to enter difficult locations (which currently constrains the design of package cars). This means the trucks could be larger, carrying more packages, and would deliver much faster, requiring fewer trucks and drivers. Given a self-driving truck, the "drivers" might end up being drone tenders/troubleshooters, rather than drivers. They could remotely designate appropriate drop-off locations when the drones can't find a good locations themselves, as well as handle any problems that arise with the equipment, and maybe still do package handling, to retrieve packages from storage in the truck and move them to where the drones can pick them up, at least until that can be adequately automated.
I think it makes a lot of sense. The technology isn't there yet, but I don't think it's far away.
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This is for express deliveries. The point is not to be "cheaper", but "faster".
Not necessarily. On the upside, the drones only weigh a few kilograms, compared to a tonne or two for a truck,
For dispatching a single rush package sure, it could be faster. But what does it do when it arrives? drop it on my front step where anyone can get it, or does it ring my bell, and politely hover at my door? Will it ensure i sign for it (typically rush packages are traceable)...
What if I'm in an office building? Does it drop it on the busy front steps, or does buzz in and drop it off at reception?... What if im a tenant in a skyrise the 30th floor?...does it take the elevator to the 35th floor?
Just doesn't make a lot of sense.
And for traditional daily bulk delivery; you are delivering along a street / superboxes etc... and the 1 ton truck probably carries half a ton of mail on its route, if not more.. how many drones will that take?
What is the drone range relative to a truck? What does the drone do on rainy days or windy days? How does it cope with snow? sleet? hail?
What happens when it malfunctions and has to land? (or crash)? Is my high priority rush delivery now sitting in someone's back yard or on their roof or in their swimming pool? Or up a tree? (that's what happens when you fly as the crow flies right? It may not be be next to a major road.) While a human postman is dispatched to find it..?
I may be missing something, but i just don't see where this makes sense in general. Maybe extremely cherry picked niches... but that's it.