The lack of transporting goods by drones is not just a security issue.
Air transport and cargo delivery using drones and UAVs are growing more and more worldwide. Undoubtedly, Amazon can be considered one of the leading companies in this field. The emergence and expansion of technology in transportation and cargo delivery have brought many advantages for business owners. Alongside all the benefits, here we mention 4 problems and challenges that cargo delivery with drones and UAVs face.
1. Weather Conditions
Drivers and delivery vehicles can operate in any weather condition. For drones, it's different. In adverse weather conditions (especially when it becomes very cold or hot), the likelihood of drone malfunction increases. These conditions worsen when transporting goods with drones in rainy, snowy, or windy weather. Many believe that considering the weather assessments conducted, using drones is practically impossible on many days of the year.
2. Drone Misuse
Throughout the day, many people have free time (idle!) and may attempt to damage and disrupt drone operations. Keeping drones safe in these conditions is practically challenging. This situation should not be underestimated. Losing a few drones daily or monthly can cause significant financial loss to the company. Security and protection of drones is a topic that needs to be considered before using and implementing them.
3. Flight Range
Currently, the solution of using drones for delivery is mostly used for short distances, less than five kilometers. Using batteries is one of the weakest ways to keep drones powered over long distances. The weight, dimensions, and even aerodynamics of the item being transported by the drone are factors that can negatively impact the drone's flight range. Research in this area has emphasized the type of packaging. Strengthening the packaging and reducing its size as much as possible are measures that can improve this issue.
4. Power Lines
Object detection sensors have seen significant improvements, but in unstable weather conditions and situations where direct visibility is reduced, the ability of these sensors to recognize small objects is greatly diminished. In the past, many incidents of helicopters colliding with power lines have been reported. This is a problem that needs to be addressed in drone cargo transport. Since drones take off and land vertically, this problem is largely mitigated, but collisions with power lines remain an issue that cannot be ignored.
What Conclusion Did We Reach?
We all love technology. Using modern technology has made people's lives easier day by day. Implementing cargo delivery using drones and UAVs requires infrastructures, including proper and correct urban infrastructure. Cargo delivery using drones has many advantages, including reducing air pollution and fuel consumption. Before anything else, we must implement and execute the culture of using drones in the city and suitable urban infrastructures. Implementing the drone cargo delivery plan in Iran is not solely due to security issues that it is not executed. Here, we reviewed problems and challenges that major countries worldwide that have implemented and executed this plan are also facing.
