The role of drones in the field of logistics
The future of drones in the field of logistics.
Logistics, always striving to reinvent itself, hopes to fulfill that old science-fiction fantasy: delivering packages by air from one point to another, safely and, if possible, with minimal human intervention. No more traffic jams or endless journeys on remote and unpredictable roads…
To gauge this interest, we can refer to Amazon's successive announcements: Article from Le Figaro (December 16, 2016) And we will be closely observing a more discreet champion, La Poste, which has nevertheless implemented two interesting and lasting experiments. Journal du geek.com (November 11, 2019).
However, the difficulties associated with portage are numerous: piloting, navigation and safety, lifting force, energy or operational autonomy, etc.
The drone, a multi-capacity transporter
The drone inherits military aeronautical know-how. Initially used for observation purposes, they are now being integrated by the armed forces into programs to exploit their payload capabilities.
The technical challenge remains the same, and current solutions are still imperfect:
How to optimize payload, flight time and range simultaneously
?
Perhaps more than for other activities, autonomy in the broadest sense is an imperative for logistics.
Autonomy refers to the physical autonomy of the aircraft (engine, energy) but also autonomous navigation (which will allow pre-establishment of flight plans to industrialize repetitive journeys in stable environments).
In the civilian sector, the masses transported are generally 2 to 3 kg, although several projects aim to be able to move a payload of 25 kg. The example of the La Poste experiment mentions 3 kg transported over approximately 30 km.
Miniaturization and motorization, fundamental to maximizing drone payload, have benefited from technological booms in electronics and computing. However, the asymptote of progress has not yet been reached.
Telecommunications, a key element
Satellite, radio, and GPS links are now effective, but these technologies still have significant shortcomings: white zones, low speeds, short range, open heterogeneous systems that can present significant security vulnerabilities.
The cards could be reshuffled with the arrival of 5G: Higher speeds, better coverage (5G requires fewer antennas than other networks), etc. Advances in sync with those of autonomous vehicles, from which drones could indirectly benefit.
Telecommunications are also essential in the evolution of the logistics sector (Industry 4.0). The production chain will be fully automated: from online ordering to customized on-site delivery. Drones will then need to be a link in this digital chain, equipped with real-time geolocation tools.
Artificial intelligence, an essential technology for autonomous navigation under the control of an operations center
Recently, a speed competition pitted a world champion drone pilot against a drone piloted by an AI (Futura-sciences.com article (December 10, 2019).
The human champion won by a wide margin, but the AI performed well. This event revisits the classic chess matches between humans and machines, which the latter ultimately won. Sooner or later, an AI will outperform a human on a standard route, and that's exciting news for logistics.
Advertisements like Uber Eats and similar services (Article from futura-sciences.com (September 3, 2018) These concepts can no longer be seen as utopian, even if in practice stakeholders will focus on more pragmatic objectives (delivery to collection points rather than the last mile). Indeed, while targeting a geographical location is one thing, home delivery is quite another.
Currently, experiments are confined to relatively undeveloped areas, using small landing pads that serve as gathering points. However, there is no shortage of astonishing ideas, such as Amazon's beehives, which are likely to influence the architecture and urban planning of tomorrow.
But are the French ready?
Individuals and professionals alike have generally welcomed this new delivery method, thanks to the digital transformation. However, the safety of this new mode of transport is often questioned.
This view is also shared by regulatory bodies (DGAC), which are hesitant to liberalize airspace in a heightened security context. The authorization granted for the first trial by La Poste took two years.
Drones used in the logistics sector have two drawbacks: (i) By their nature they must approach inhabited areas, and (ii) Due to the regular nature of traffic on the line, making them autonomous is particularly interesting.
Note, however, that many experiments have been set up around the world: Rakuten in Japan for the Olympic Games, UPS in the United States for hospitals, Amazon's Prime Air in the United Kingdom, Google's Project Wings in Australia and the USA with NASA and the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), etc.
Let's hope that technology and regulations will remove all the obstacles to this use, allowing the long-awaited BtoB or BtoC operations to become widespread.
