In simple words, drones are aircraft without a human pilot. It is also known as Unmanned Aerial vehicles or UAVs. The technology is considered an intersection of aerospace, robotics, mechanics, and electronics. A drone is controlled through communication between a UAV system and A Remote Controller System. The technology is employed for a wide range of works from aerial cinematography to military surveillance. With the advancement of drone technology, it can be utilized for many more benefits. The main purpose of this paper is to understand the present influence of drone technology and its potential for advancements. The paper takes a look at the history of this technology for this analysis. Additionally, the positive and negative impact of drone technology advancement is examined along with the legal or ethical consequences.
The drone technology has been modified in numerous ways to utilize it for diverse requirements. There are various types of drones. Some of these are Multi-Rotor Drones, Fixed-Wing Drones, Single-Rotor Drones, and Fixed-Wing Hybrid VTOL. These are divided on the basis of accessibility, size, endurance, and range coverage (Hassanalian et al.). Although there are many more popular kinds of drones like small drones, micro drones, combat drones, or GPS drones. Out of these, fixed-wing Hybrid VTOL drones are developed for delivery services. This is a relatively new type of drone and it’s available. Small or micro drones are quite opposite of these. They are easily available and cheaper. These are already used for multiple purposes. A recent example of it is the use of small drones to monitor chemistry, industrial emissions in the air (Burgués et al.). The monitoring helps in enforcing environmental laws.
One of the latest advancements in drone technology is drone delivery technology. In the news report, drone delivery technology will take over car-based delivery services (Koetsier). Amazon is working towards 30 min prime delivery service. The company aims at launching the drone delivery concept called Amazon Prime Air (Singireddy et al.). The goal of employing this technology is to ensure faster delivery, lower expenses, low emissions, and satisfied customers. Successful deployment of this technology can not only help in e-commerce delivery but it has the potential to transform industries by replacing fossil fuel-powered delivery trucks and road traffic. This evolution in transportation is expected to impact the healthcare sector. An autonomous drone can deliver medication, defibrillators, blood samples, and vaccines during emergencies (Scott and Carlton). The technology is in development however an Irish company, Manna has already started autonomous drone delivery ( Koetsier). Manna drone delivery is competing with Uber Eats or Skip The Dishes car delivery.
Originally the drone technology was meant to be used for military purposes. US Army Air Corps first developed aircraft that were operated by commanders on the ground and in 1927 UAVs were used by the British to drop flying bombs (Chan et al.). Over the years several remotely controlled weapons were invented by many countries. The technology was used in defense services for several years. Most creative advancements in technology begin after its introduction in academic research and development. In 1991, an international flying robot competition was held at Georgia Institute of Technology and it was the starting of worldwide academic interest in small drones (Nonami). Different concepts and innovations were presented by researchers and developers. In 2008, with the release of Draganflyer X6 drone technology entered the video game and entertainment market. After this hobby-use drones started gaining popularity. The AR- drone by parrot company was a success in the toy market. Now, the technology is used in various industries as well.
One of the reasons behind the popularity is the easy deployment. They are low-cost and easy to operate and navigate. The positive impact of UAV technology came to light especially after the Covid-19 pandemic happened. The UAV with camera and microphone were used to gather information while maintaining distance. Some of the drones were equipped with a thermal camera to record the temperature of people. The technology ensured no contact during the spread of coronavirus while providing accurate results. The drone technology made basic necessities accessible to people who were quarantined after getting infected by the virus. To limit the spread of anti-virus, many companies are introducing commercial drone deliveries (Rajabifard et al.). The UAV delivery service is more environmentally friendly than traditional delivery. The CO2 emission from drones is significantly less than delivery trucks (Goodchild and Jordan). Along with strengths, the technology has limitations too. One major concern among people about UAV technology and its delivery service is about privacy. For the technology to function, data and image collection are necessary but this also puts an individual’s privacy at risk. Another limitation of drone delivery is capability. The range and payload of a UAV are limited and lesser than delivery vehicles. Amazon’s drone prototype can carry only 5 lb and up to 15 miles. This means that the service is only useful for destinations within 15 miles diameter of a warehouse ( Frachtenberg). Since the technology has an AI element in it, this raises the question of safety. Without proper error handling features, system failure can cause accidents like mid-air UAV collisions.
Drone technology is controversial and ethical aspect. As mentioned, the technology has been used for military and defense purposes. Drones give the capability to shoot weapons but it raises the moral questions of the moral of killing as well as its psychological effects. The increasing use of drones in warfare increases the possibility of human right violation. Apart from this, there are legal concerns regarding the use of drones. Many companies are unable to use drone delivery technology, the law of the state doesn’t allow the usage of drones due to safety issues. There might be the issue of license or permissions. Businesses had to face financial loss due to delays in permissions. Door-step delivery from drones might not be possible due to trespassing laws in residential airspace. Customers might misunderstand the delivery as a possible intruder. As mentioned earlier, privacy and data collection are major issues with the use of drones. Consumers might pursue legal actions against it.
From the history of the development of technology, it can be stated that the drone industry will grow in the future. Various researchers and developers are working towards the advancement of technology. The consumer drone market is expected to grow from three billion U.S. dollars to 5.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2030 (“Global Consumer Drone Market 2020-2030 | Statista”). UVA technology is under development for many companies. There is the possibility that soon they will be replacing road delivery vehicles. However, the growth is steady due to numerous privacy and security concerns. The drone has been popular in the entertainment industry as well. In the future, drone racing sports can be expected. Currently, a similar event called Drone Racing League (DRL) is organized. In this event, professionals from around the globe compete to create faster and more advanced drones suitable for commercial use.
Conclusion
It can be concluded from the above discussion that after being used as a weapon for several years, drone technology is making its way into the lives of common people. It is already part of the e-commerce, entertainment, and food delivery industry. It’s being used for humanitarian purposes like delivering medication, search and rescue after a disaster, or for disaster relief. Technology has positively impacted society however with future advancements technology threatens the privacy of individuals and their property. Hence, proper rules and protocols are needed for the successful application of drone technology. Considering the possible risks, there should be regulations regarding the manufacturing and use of drones.
References
Burgués, Javier, and Santiago Marco. “Environmental chemical sensing using small drones: A review.” Science of The Total Environment 748 (2020): 141172.
Chan, K. W., U. Nirmal, and W. G. Cheaw. “Progress on drone technology and their applications: A comprehensive review.” AIP Conference Proceedings. Vol. 2030. No. 1. AIP Publishing LLC, 2018.
Frachtenberg, Eitan. “Practical drone delivery.” Computer 52.12 (2019): 53-57.
“Global Consumer Drone Market 2020-2030 | Statista”. Statista, 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1234655/worldwide-consumer-drone-market-size/. Accessed 11 Mar 2022.
Goodchild, Anne, and Jordan Toy. “Delivery by drone: An evaluation of unmanned aerial vehicle technology in reducing CO2 emissions in the delivery service industry.” Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment 61 (2018): 58-67.
Hassanalian, Mostafa, and Abdessattar Abdelkefi. “Classifications, applications, and design challenges of drones: A review.” Progress in Aerospace Sciences 91 (2017): 99-131.
Koetsier, John. “Drone Delivery Is Live Today, and It’s 90% Cheaper than Car-Based Services.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 19 Aug. 2021,
Nonami, Kenzo. “Research and development of drone and roadmap to evolution.” Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics 30.3 (2018): 322-336.
Singireddy, Shiva Ram Reddy, and Tugrul U. Daim. “Technology roadmap: Drone delivery–amazon prime air.” Infrastructure and Technology Management. Springer, Cham, 2018. 387-412.
Scott, Judy, and Carlton Scott. “Drone delivery models for healthcare.” Proceedings of the 50th Hawaii international conference on system sciences. 2017.
Rajabifard, Abbas, Daniel Paez, and Greg Foliente. COVID-19 Pandemic, Geospatial Information, and Community Resilience: Global Applications and Lessons. Taylor & Francis, 2021.
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