Analysts predicted commercial drones will have an average of billion annual impact on the GDP of the United States.
Applications of drone tech for food and goods delivery is quickly becoming the most efficient, safest and greenest transportation option.
Blueflite® has been leading the list of industry favorites
According to the Teal Group, who published the “World Civil Unmanned Aerial Systems Market Profile & Forecast” it is predicted that by the year 2026, commercial drones will have a yearly impact on United States GDP of between billion and billion. The maturing of the commercial drone sector will have knock-on benefits for other industries.
Drones have been dubbed the “holy grail of transportation”. Compared to traditional ground transportation for relatively small items, drone delivery can be conducted in a shorter time with much lower costs and far fewer emissions.
Why are drones the transportation of the future?
Applications for the use of drones are vast, including anything from delivering coffee to your office, to delivering spare parts to remote industrial sites. Operating models also differ vastly – from hub to hub to point to point, last mile, middle mile and anything in between. The technology also enables new business models, eg ‘ghost kitchens’, ‘cloud kitchens’ or ‘dark stores’.
To make delivery drones work, one should also think about their infrastructure. In the ideal world, infrastructure would not be required: Drones would be able to fly anywhere and hand over the payload no matter the circumstances. Drones with vertical take-off and landing capabilities minimize infrastructure dependency.
In reality, some infrastructure is essential. Even in remote industrial use cases the drone is likely to require some sort of operating pads to take-off from and deliver to, which can be temporary or mobile, depending on the digital infrastructure available.
Drones are exciting because they can connect points in quasi-direct lines on the map whilst moving at high speeds. They free up roads and freeways, and are integrating with new city developments, including smart cities.
Quick Facts About Blueflite®
Blueflite® has been one of the leaders in the development of drone hardware. For years, the company has been working with smart cities in the Middle East and Asia, integrating them with sustainable automated transport.
Blueflite®’s Frank Noppel, who has been dubbed the Elon Musk of drones, says that “Drones are going to happen whether you like it or not. The key thing is to make sure they are safe, stable, and supporting local businesses and economies while protecting the environment.”
(PHOTO: FRANK NOPPEL, BLUEFLITE)
The company is developing drone tech to serve a variety of uses and industries, including discussions with some of the leading logistics, delivery, and infrastructure developing companies across the globe. They are also proactively countering the perception that the United States is behind with regards to their drone technology, since blueflite® is a US-headquartered firm with global operations and clients.
Autonomous Drone Systems
While it appears that many are entering the industry by providing services with their own hardware, as an OEM, blueflite® has decided to skip the service part and develop their own hardware that can be integrated with any infrastructure.
Noppel believes that, while currently there is a need for a service provider operating the drones, in future drones will be integrated into (semi or fully) autonomous platforms, making hardware – not drone operators – perhaps the most important part of the drone future.
Final Thoughts
Drones provide businesses with a new way to reach their customers, and the cities of the (near) future with a whole new form of transport and logistics.
And with completely autonomous technology on the way, drones will be able to operate completely independently and in an even more cost-effective and efficient way.