To receive your meals by standard delivery is one thing, but having it come down from the sky is a whole other ballpark. Is this a possibility?
Starting in 2016, pizza can be delivered by drones. There are some factors and regulations to take into consideration; however, food and tech companies have opted for optional air-rooted deliveries with drones that descend from the sky.
To comprehend the ins and outs of drone delivery for pizza, we need to know the origin of this delivery method.
When Did Drone Deliveries Start?
The act of delivery, in general, has had its evolution throughout time.
We went from standard delivery to expedite delivery, to nowadays next day/immediate delivery. It wasn't long before faster vehicles came to the equation.
Air delivery methods came about as a need or want to decrease cost and increase speed on the arrival of items. Like many processes that have been known to exist based on human support, delivery methods aim for an unmanned approach.
In 2013, many small tech companies, including Amazon, embarked on the journey to try out the possibility of flying drones to deliver goods. However, it wasn't until late 2016 that the trip came to a breakthrough since drones started to be FFA (Federal Aviation Administration) approved, allowing these machines to deliver more personalized items, some items in particular via air.
In the current wide global supply chain that we live in, drones have offered a financial benefit to companies. As a result of the growth of E-COMMERCE, air cargo transportation has increased, and drones or drone-like machines that could provide easy/fast/economical delivery have become more important.
Currently, numerous drones can travel autonomously long distances at high speeds to deliver products, food, or supplies.
Can a Drone Deliver Pizza? Check Out Pizza Delivery Drones:
Domino's pizza had its first recorded drone delivery in New Zealand in 2016. This came as a result of a partnership with a tech company specialized in air-rooted deliveries. As seen in this Youtube video:
Domino's First Company To Deliver Pizza By Drone
The perception taken for this project was to find an effective alternative for delivery that could avoid traffic congestion and traffic lights; since time has passed, the traffic aspect is something that has become more of a concern. All of these efforts decrease the delivery time and distance by traveling directly to the customer.
Another attribute that can be added to creating delivery drones is terrible experiences with deliveries reported by clients. Employees, in general, are unpredictable, and this is why drones remove the human aspect of the overall process to ensure no motives other than delivery of the product are present when sending them. With that being said, it wasn't necessarily the case since the inclusion of drones in the delivery system created more jobs for those in the tech maintenance field; now, there is a group of employees dedicated to delivering and customer satisfaction.
The drones have to be FAA Approved; the standard they are requesting to meet their criteria is a drone that weighs less than 55 lbs, could travel at a speed of no more than 100 miles per hour while flying at a maximum of 500 feet in altitude.
While also meeting those criteria, the drones endured numerous updates and improvements before they came into effect. Batteries were a concern for earlier models since with food delivery, the possibility of one of these machines running out of power doesn't work; however, this is working progress in the latest versions.
Regulation is vital for effective drone delivery use.
Just like streets, once drones become a well-known delivery method, the possibility of having a crowded sky exists, in addition to the misuse of these articles by delivering illegal substances or even invading privacy; this is why regulation is critical.
Factors That Impact Drone Delivery
Drone delivery continues to face challenges that prevent them from becoming a more used delivery method. These are factors that impact the expansion of drone delivery:
Noise
Drones produce a loud sound that comes from the rotors slicing throughout the air. What you hear is a buzzing noise. Knowing this, the noise portion of the drones has brought some unwanted attention to them.
Locals around areas in which drone delivery is available have reported discomfort from the machine's loud noise, which is why some believe it might take more technical adjustments to reach broader masses.
Noise pollution is a real thing and has also created time limits for when the deliveries can be made. Therefore this is something needed to be taken into consideration when addressing drones as a delivery method.
Misuse
In addition to offering fast delivery and overall fast results, drones also serve as a possible tool for illegal activity.
Attacks and contraband have been an ongoing issue for drones since these actions seem to have the unexpected factor the users are looking for with these machines. Like we've mentioned before, the regulation of these is critical and still in the early stages.
Safety
Although we might look at the sky and not associate traffic with it, the safety of the drones comes into question due to multiple reports of collisions between aircraft and drones, putting in question their safety.
Since drones don't possess a "DETECT and defend" or react mode feature, it concerns normalizing drone delivery.
Drone Delivery Companies
We've searched the net and have compiled the best-rated delivery drones companies available for you:
AMAZON PRIME AIR:
As we might all be aware, Amazon has become a massive phenomenon with comprehensive income, which allows them to innovate through technology all of their services, delivering one of them.
Amazon prime air is an FAA-approved drone system that is currently used to travel from warehouse to client within some cities for the prime customer; the service offers 5 pounds in 30 mins or less. And this is still in its learning curve, meaning we should be expecting modifications.
UPS FLIGHT FORWARD – Drone Delivery
UPS Flight Forward is not the biggest company in the delivery drone spectrum. What sets it apart from its competitors is the reliability they offer; they have higher rated security scores than other drone companies, delayed and not the most incredible speed has been reported, but it is a solid provider.
Alphabet Wing
They have had a more significant impact in Australia. Alphabet Wing is one of three major companies in the race to become the leading FAA-certified drone delivery company. Like its counterparts, it has complied with all of the requirements with high standards. What sets them apart from other companies could be the momentum they found amid the pandemic. They managed to benefit and offer practical alternatives while still following the COVID-19 protocol.
Conclusion
It's pretty daunting the idea of saying goodbye to dealing with rude deliveries and unwanted delays; however, there's more than meets the eye when it comes to pizza drone delivery.
Regulating drones continues to be the roadblock that prevents them from becoming a mainstream delivery method. There are a series of considerations and requirements to be met for an optimal experience with drone delivery. We see this as a future breakout star in the tech world, but minor observations need to be analyzed just a tad deeper.
Drone delivery is still in its early stages; once we start to see them cascaded throughout the world and possible scenarios start happening, we will get better and more effective service out of these devices.
Also read: Drone Jobs – Earn Money!
Shawn Manaher loves to play with new toys and dive into new hobbies. As a serial entrepreneur, work definitely comes first but there is always room for hobbies.