October 2023 started with news from Amazon about re-launching drones for deliveries in the UK later next year. With emerging technology and new modes of transportation, a key consideration is safety.
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For quite some time, drones have been considered as a potential option to deliver parcels. The UK government position statement of 2020 says that drones can be a good solution in rural areas to deliver goods, though current legislation needs to be changed to enable them to fly out of the ‘operator’s line of sight’. Amazon is exploring new ways of meeting customers’ demands to get their parcels delivered safely and on time. The most recent project, in close collaboration with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), involves re-launching drone delivery in a sparsely populated UK suburban area in 2024, with plans to test drones in other areas once they receive regulatory approvals.
Previously, Amazon Air Prime tested drones almost 8 years ago – the drone successfully completed its first UK delivery to a customer in Cambridge. But progress has been slow since then, with a number of accidents in the US where Amazon’s drones crashed and caused fires (e.g., one of them lost the propellers and fell immediately).
Last month, Amazon announced that they developed brand-new drones for deliveries in UK, Italy, and the US. The new MK30 model is currently available and is being tested for delivering packages by using industry-leading ‘sense and avoid’ technology that detects obstacles and helps to avoid accidents. This allows the drone to be operated autonomously, so that if something in the environment changes, and the drone’s system commands it to fly the established route and come into contact with an object – it will refuse.
Amazon MK30 model
Amazon’s announcement today is a fantastic example of Government and industry coming together to achieve our shared vision for commercial drones to be commonplace in the UK by 2030. Not only will this help boost the economy, offering consumers even more choice while helping keep the environment clean with zero emission technology, but it will also build our understanding how to best use the new technology safely and securely.
UK Aviation Minister – Baroness Vere
David Carbon – the Amazon’s Vice president on Air Deliveries – believes that drone delivery is about a hundred times safer than driving to pick it up from the store, as stated in the BBC news.
However, safety of drone delivery needs further consideration. Below are some key pros and cons of this initiative – you can continue this conversation on CIHT connect.
Pros:
Cons:
Even though for many people drones are part of the distant future, they are already being used in the UK for different purposes. One example is the work done by Transport for West Midlands where drones are used to capture road closures and accidents. This enables traffic managers to develop diversion plans and keep the public informed with live updates. It helps Transport for West Midlands make faster decisions while also saving resources as one drone can replace numerous CCTV cameras. To ensure the safety of road users, drones are only used above the roofs of the buildings and are operated on a lower level during windy conditions.
CIHT believes that road safety is fundamental to the transport sector. On 16 November 2023 we are hosting a webinar on road safety awareness and education that is important for any road user and transport experts. Make sure you have booked a ticket here.
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