How AI Is Transforming Drone Delivery

Though still in its infancy, drone delivery has the potential to reduce distribution times, improve accuracy, and lower costs. Implementing AI can further help in these areas by improving navigation, enhancing security, and more.

SwissCognitive Guest Blogger: Zachary Amos – “How AI Is Transforming Drone Delivery”

E-commerce has grown exponentially since the COVID-19 pandemic drove people out of stores and into their homes. Old habits die hard as consumers continue relying on their trusty devices to make purchases.

Although business has gone well for online retailers, meeting customer expectations with timely deliveries poses considerable challenges. Fortunately, artificial intelligence (AI) advancements have paved the way for leveraging drone delivery. However, some issues must be addressed before widespread adoption.

The Rise of Drone Delivery

The convenience of e-commerce has evolved shopping, whether for food, clothing, electronics or last-minute gifts. The consumer landscape has set its sights on drones for fast, reliable delivery to fulfill these orders.

Though still in its infancy, drone delivery has the potential to reduce distribution times, improve accuracy, and lower standard shipping costs for businesses and buyers. From 2019 to 2022, customers received over 660,000 drone delivery flights, with even more tests conducted to develop and improve this method.

However, despite drones’ efficiencies, the demand outweighs current capabilities. For instance, 10 years after announcing 30-minute drone deliveries for items under 5 pounds, Amazon only fulfilled 100 shipments using the technology in the United States.

If Amazon can overcome the regulatory and logistics hurdles, its promise of 30-minute deliveries will significantly appeal to consumers. The market value for same-day delivery was $5,795.64 million in 2021, while experts predicted the demand to rise by 12.65% by 2027. Drones can play a critical role in achieving customer satisfaction.

Drone Delivery: An AI Revolution

AI has rapidly infiltrated every industry, with more companies integrating the technology into their business models. The use of AI in drone delivery fleets is a game-changer for e-commerce and has already proven its effectiveness. Here are three ways AI-powered drones have changed how orders get distributed.

1. Improved Navigation

Conventional drones use GPS to navigate, which may be unreliable in some areas. However, AI-backed drones rely on real-time sensors and computer vision to take in their surroundings.

High-resolution cameras and light detection sense various landscapes, synthesizing the information in real time via an AI algorithm. Image and object recognition allows the drone to pinpoint potential obstacles and track different objects to avoid crashing.

LiDAR sensors also use ranging lasers to map the terrain and measure distances — drone features commonly found in the surveying sector.

2. Optimized Routes

AI can process large quantities of traffic information, such as routes, congestion, rerouting, weather conditions and buildings. Drones aren’t restricted to roadways, so the algorithm can plan the appropriate path for optimized delivery of goods with reduced flight duration.

The drone delivery fleet is also more eco-friendly than traditional methods, producing nearly 47 times fewer greenhouse gases and less energy.

3. Enhanced Security

AI’s ability to detect and avoid obstacles protects the drone and its packages. The system can also circumvent unauthorized areas during flight. As a result, in-flight safety is guaranteed and orders are delivered securely.

Companies can also use AI to detect maintenance issues with drones, allowing them to ensure their fleet is up to date and prevent malfunctions.

AI Drones in the Future

Although AI-powered drones are a feat in technological advancements, the method isn’t perfect — a reason widespread adoption has been slow. For instance, AI may have a 74-day shorter breach time frame, saving companies around $3 million more than those who don’t use it. However, drone privacy is still a hotly debated topic.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires drones to publicize their locations, meaning anyone can view the destinations and track their flight routes. A privacy breach could lead to unsolicited advertisements and the release of personal information.

Drones are also vulnerable to state and city regulations. Phoenix would be an ideal location to set up drone delivery. However, much of the city has restricted airspace, with several small airports and an Air Force base. The FAA would hesitate to allow drones to fly without a pilot for safety reasons.

Additionally, although rural areas could greatly benefit from drone delivery fleets, densely populated suburban and metropolitan regions might pose more of a problem. AI-powered drones can navigate obstacles, but trees, swimming pools, animals, cars and people may challenge the most advanced software. Inclement weather may also be an issue, as not every area has dry, sunny weather conditions year-round.

AI-Powered Drone Delivery Has Potential

AI-backed drones can improve e-commerce and ensure consumer satisfaction in package delivery. However, industries must overcome regulatory and logistics issues before the world relies on them to do the job correctly.

About the Author:

Zachary Amos is the Features Editor at ReHack, where he writes about artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and other technology-related topics.