Without a doubt, we are living in a golden age of technological advancement with new developments seen in a variety of industries, including the world of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones. The importance of consumer and commercial drones has grown exponentially in recent years. It has become critical in industries such as e-commerce and agriculture.
Role of drones in e-Commerce
Drones, which were formerly linked with either military or hobbyist uses, have emerged as serious participants in the commercial delivery market. The deployment of drones for delivery is the most recent breakthrough that will be a game changer for the Ecommerce business. To take advantage of drone technology, an e-commerce company must have the necessary infrastructure in place, such as integration of the client ordering system with the warehouse ERP system. Integration of ERP and drones with the server, as well as external notifications
Drones reshaping home delivery
The technology works by having customers submit orders on the website, which are then sent to the centralized server and ERP system. The other is packed manually and delivered with the help of the drone system and the server integration system. The EM system delivers the order status information to the buyer via this platform. The drone broadcasts its location to the server with a timestamp after the GPS and flight computers are installed in the software. The external notification system receives information from the server and delivers updates to customers, who will be informed of the delivery’s exact location.
Advantages of drone-based delivery
- Delivery effectiveness
Drones can transport things in a few hours, depending on the origin and destination. They don’t need roads and can go anywhere with the appropriate coordinates (over mountains, across water, in a park, on top of buildings). In comparison to delivery vehicles, drones are incredibly cost-effective, and they also save a lot of labour costs. Drones allow customers and businesses to track each other in real time.
- Environmental cost of drone delivery:
When compared to a truck, drones have very little carbon footprint. Drones utilize less energy and emit less greenhouse gases, lowering their carbon footprint and improving environmental sustainability.
Limitations associated with the drones
- Legalization: Drone delivery is not permitted in all regions, and widespread use requires universal approval.
- Drop size: Drone delivery is limited to things that are reasonably lightweight. The delivery of televisions, large closets, and other heavy items, for example, is not an option. A drone is most likely only capable of carrying a single package. It flies to its destination and then returns to its logistics centre to pick up another item and, possibly, a new battery. Drones can only be delivered over a short region and have a limited range.
- External Drawbacks: Drone deliveries are not possible in inclement weather, such as storms, rain, or snow, and they may fail if a bird strikes them. Deliveries are subject to theft as thieves attempt to take the merchandise by shooting down the drones.
- Expenses of delivery: Adding delivery drones to a company’s services necessitates a large investment in the organization’s infrastructure. As a result, only the biggest businesses will be able to afford it, while smaller and mid-sized retailers would be priced out. This could result in a massive increase in delivery costs.
More than one million drones have been registered in the United States alone. Amazon, UPS, FedEx, Domino’s Pizza, Ukraine Postal Service, Flirtey, Workhorse, Zomato, and Alibaba are the leading players in drone-based delivery around the world. Over the next decade, drones are predicted to raise ecommerce income by nearly 25% and save online retailers $50 million in delivery expenses. Organizations are attempting to create a fully autonomous drone-based delivery system that requires no human interaction. Drone-flying restrictions in India were shaped in 2018; only four years after the country slapped a ban on the practice in. The DGCA (Director General of Civil Aviation) has issued a set of recommendations that are being implemented slowly.
Agriculture: sustainable agriculture technology
Drones are increasingly being used in agriculture as part of an effective approach to sustainable agricultural management that allows agronomists, agricultural engineers, and farmers to assist streamline their operations and acquire valuable insights into their crops utilizing strong data analytics. This will eliminate all assumptions in modern farming and allow farmers to achieve optimal yields. Crop monitoring, planting, livestock management, crop spraying, irrigation mapping, and much more are all included.
Following are some of the important applications of agricultural drones:
- Soil and Field Analysis: To measure soil quality, nutrient availability, and dead zones, 3D maps of the soil are created. This will allow for improved planting patterns, more efficient use of water resources, and better crop management.
- Planting seeds: Custom drone systems can shoot seed pods into ready-to-plant soil. They can help to reduce the need for on-the-ground planting, which is an expensive and time-consuming process.
- Crop spraying: Drones can be equipped with reservoirs that can be filled with fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides for crop spraying. Drones for crop spraying are far safer and more cost-effective than helicopters. They can also operate totally independently and be programmed to follow specified timetables and routes. In terms of cost and efficacy, spot spraying to address the spread of weeds can be made more efficient with drones.
- Mapping and surveying: Instead of satellite or plane photography, Large-scale crop and acreage can be readily and efficiently supervised. Along with accurate GPS maps of crop area, information on overall crop and plant health, land distribution for specific crops, crop life cycle, and so on may be gathered.
- Irrigation management: Drones with thermal cameras can help spot irrigation concerns, such as places that are receiving too little or too much rainfall. With this knowledge, the crops may be better laid out to promote drainage, adhere to natural land flow, and avoid water pooling that might harm delicate crops.
- Livestock monitoring: The drone operator can swiftly inspect the herd to see if any animals are wounded or missing, as well as keep an eye on animals that are giving birth.
Shirin Hameed is the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Detroit Engineered Products (DEP)