Critics are wondering whether parcel delivery will really take place on a massive scale using
, but companies do seem to believe in it. Amazon
and DHL are busy conducting trials, Google and Alibaba are developing their own
drones, and the Swiss postal service, Swiss Post, is also set to start
using drones this summer.
Hard-to-reach areas
Drones do not appear to be an unnecessary luxury in Switzerland, where the mountainous landscape makes many places difficult to reach by car. The postal service hopes that these small aircraft will enable it to serve customers
who live in remote areas. For the time being, this is a trial in collaboration with
the airline Swiss International Air Lines and the American
drone developer Matternet.
Read also: Research: deployment of drones reduces delivery costs
Drone delivery a ‘joke’
Whilst testing and development are in full swing, the question remains
whether drones will really become the norm in parcel delivery. In 2013,
FedEx CEO Fred Smith described drone delivery as a ‘joke’. In his view, the idea that parcels would in future be delivered by remote-controlled
aircraft was ‘almost amusing’. The biggest obstacle,
, according to Smith, was that the drones could only fly for a short time and could carry very little cargo
. Despite these comments,
FedEx is also conducting research into the use of drones as a means of transport. Does
the company secretly believe in drone delivery after all?
Privacy and avoiding obstacles
Even if drones are optimised for longer flights and heavier
parcels, it remains to be seen whether it will even be possible to get drones
into the air on a massive scale. Are we heading towards a future where hundreds of drones are flying overhead? In that case, what about privacy and avoiding obstacles?
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