Tag «drones»

The use of drones in city logistics: a case study

City logistics take a considerable part in urban transportation. Inevitably, the last mile deliveries are partly responsible for degrading the environment. Towards more environmentally friendly city logistics, using different means of transport has been tested; one among them is drones. A new paper aims better to understand the use of drones for last-mile deliveries. More …

The Wing Delivery Network: coming in 12 months

Companies worldwide have been working for over a decade to develop drone technologies that will work together with ground transportation to improve last-mile delivery. Wing Delivery Network’s ultimate vision is to deliver people’s packages more efficiently and safely as part of an automated logistics system that moves boxes by the millions. The economics of drone …

Can drones really deliver more sustainable?

The growing demand for fast, contactless deliveries has driven firms to experiment with automated package-delivery vehicles that can avoid urban traffic and rapidly reach customers. Widespread adoption of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) to replace a portion of first/last-mile truck pickups and deliveries could reshape transportation energy by changing demand patterns and shifting fuel use from …

Drone flight data reveal energy and GHG emissions savings for tiny parcel delivery

Uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) for last-mile deliveries will affect the energy productivity of delivery and require new methods to understand energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Researchers have combined empirical testing of 188 quadcopter flights across a range of speeds with a first-principles analysis to develop a usable energy model and a machine-learning algorithm …

Drone and self-driving vehicle adoption will create a $4.9B market by 2030

Demand in the food and retail sectors will push the adoption of delivery drones and self-driving vehicles. A report from consultancy MarketsandMarkets “Autonomous Last-Mile Delivery Market by Platform,” predicts the drone and self-driving vehicle sector will grow to $4.9 billion by 2030, growing more than 20 percent each year. The report sees the advancement of sense-and-avoid systems …

Research: vans versus bikes versus drones

Urban distribution in medium-sized cities faces a major challenge, mainly when deliveries are difficult in the city center due to: an increase in e-commerce, weak public transportation system, and the promotion of urban sustainability plans. As a result, private cars, public transportation, and freight transportation compete for the same space. A new paper by Serrano-Hernandez …

Research: taking truck-routing and drone-resupply decisions

Online customers expect faster delivery. Last-mile logistics operators normally deliver goods on the same day that they receive them at their local facilities, creating the challenge of planning delivery routes while simultaneously receiving new requests. Once delivery vehicles have started their routes, these operators commonly employ two strategies to manage the arrival of new orders: dispatch …

Delivery drones: sustainable or not?

Drone technology is evolving at a fast pace and has increasing potential to compete with more traditional alternatives in a number of sectors beyond retail and delivery. Drone technology has uncertain potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from e-commerce and the logistics industry and concerns over increased noise pollution and threats to wildlife.

Tesco testing drones in Ireland

A Tesco drone delivery trial will test small items dropped off at customers’ homes within 30 minutes of ordering. Based at Tesco’s Oranmore store, in Ireland, the drones will deliver “small baskets” of goods to local customers. The drones, supplied by Manna, are flying at 80km/h, at an altitude of 80 meters, they can deliver …