UAV Delivery continues to warm up and take a big step towards commercialization

In recent years, with the continuous prosperity of e-commerce economy, the challenges faced by traditional logistics are rising rapidly. On the one hand, distribution orders are increasing, but the available labor force is decreasing, and the contradiction between the demand side and the supply side is remarkable; on the other hand, consumers put forward higher requirements for the safety, efficiency and quality of distribution, while traditional logistics can not effectively meet.
Map Source: Creativity of Tubu
Under such circumstances, in order to solve the contradiction between supply and demand of logistics and meet the increasing transportation demand, domestic and foreign logistics companies and e-commerce enterprises have added codes of logistics UAVs in succession, hoping to speed up delivery efficiency, reduce costs, improve service level through the application of UAVs, and finally solve various aspects of traditional logistics by promoting the transformation and upgrading of the logistics industry. Ills.
_Continuous warming of UAV delivery
From the beginning, people's attention and development on UAV delivery mainly came from abroad.
In 2013, Amazon first unveiled its PrimeAir plan for unmanned parcel delivery, and then in 2014, Google conducted a pilot project for the Project Wing Delivery Unmanned Aerial Vehicle in Australia. In addition, the government departments represented by Germany, France and Finland have tested logistics UAVs successively and applied them to the distribution of postal express and e-commerce parcels.
With the opening of UAV delivery by foreign enterprises and governments, and the gradual outbreak of the consumer UAV market, China has also taken the opportunity to join in the research of logistics UAV. With the bright performance of local enterprises such as Jingdong, Suning, rookie, Shunfeng and Yuantong, China has become an important participant and strong competitor in the global logistics UAV market.
_As of 2019, the development of UAVs in China's e-commerce and logistics enterprises has become more and more frequent.
From the successful test flight of China Post Express Logistics amphibious UAV, to the release of large-scale logistics cargo UAV in East Beijing; from the opening of UAV routes in Shaanxi by novice birds, the release of UAV intelligent express tower, to the approval of 17 UAV routes when hungry; and Shunfeng launched the UAV distribution plan and received a billion yuan of fund investment. Not only is the enthusiasm for development warming up continuously, but also the process of development is becoming more and more noticeable.
Great strides have been made in commercialized applications
At present, the development of logistics UAVs in China has been rapid. Through the focus on medium and large fixed-wing logistics UAVs, the accelerated construction of branch lines and transfer stations, as well as the continuous promotion of law and cost, logistics UAVs have achieved remarkable results in the R&D and testing stage.
In view of this, commercialized applications are increasingly becoming another goal of logistics UAV development. Since last year, the National Civil Aviation Administration and other agencies have issued a series of documents, such as "Civil Aviation Administration's Guidance on Promoting the Development of Aviation Logistics Industry", and elaborated on specific policies and measures to promote the development of aviation logistics industry. To a certain extent, the development of UAV distribution in China is no longer limited to the self-pursuit of the market, making it possible for large-scale commercial landing.
_With the guidance of policy, Chinese enterprises are also making strides in the commercial application of logistics UAV. On May 16, Dunhao Sinotrans signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Yihang Intelligence in Guangzhou, jointly released the first fully automated intelligent UAV logistics solution in China, which successfully opened the door for the commercial road of logistics UAV in China.
It is understood that the two sides have successfully made their first voyage with this solution. In an 8-kilometer flight route, the UAV takes only about 8 minutes to complete the distribution, and is not affected by natural factors such as weather. Efficient delivery speed, flexible delivery mode and safe delivery flight greatly meet customer customized express service requirements.
Watch out for these problems.
It can be said that the cooperation between Dunhao and Yihang Intelligence shows us the great possibility and broad prospects for the commercialization of local logistics UAVs. However, we can not be too optimistic about the commercial landing of logistics UAVs. After all, in the actual commercial process, the existing UAVs still face many problems.
For example, how do UAVs keep flying and controlling in bad weather? What if the UAV is maliciously shot down, controlled or collided in the process of distribution? When delivering goods with customers, landing and takeoff will be greatly affected by the surrounding environment. How to consider these uncontrollable factors? As well as the large-scale commercial use of UAVs, it may also have an impact on airspace management, residents'daily life and so on.
If these problems can not be effectively solved and prevented, the commercial road of UAV will not be straightforward. In addition, the large-scale commercial use of UAVs also requires R&D costs, operating costs, product prices, etc. If it can not balance the input and income of enterprises and users, then it is obviously impossible to achieve long-term and sustainable development.
In a word, the commercialization of logistics UAVs in China is still at the initial stage. There are still many problems to be faced and dealt with in the future. only step by step, step by step, can UAVs really insert the ideal wings for traditional logistics, and logistics UAVs can really fly into millions of households.