Drones are one of the world’s most recent innovations that seem set to be used on a large scale for both consumers and businesses alike. The majority of tech-savvy people in this world are well aware of Amazon’s plan to use courier drones on a worldwide scale, with test drones proving relatively successful. With this revelation, it is important to ask the question: Will drones fully replace couriers?
How they work
In relation to courier services, it seems pretty clear what the role of the drone is. Quite simply, they deliver a parcel without the need for human interference between the dispatch and delivery location.
Convenient right? Well not only is it convenient, but these drones have been worked on for years and are capable of flying 50mph and can carry upwards of 5 pounds of weight, which will likely only increase. These drones also can last a significant time, with the majority lasting at least 2 hours.
Could it be a good thing?
There is no doubt that there are many positives that can be taken from utilising delivery drones. The main one, that some may not agree with, is that it can save a lot of money for companies who either use their own delivery drivers or use 3rd party logistics companies. You essentially have a worker that doesn’t require a wage when you are using a delivery drone.
Adding to that, there is also less room for human error which has been a common theme for advancements in technology in recent years. Just think of how many times packages have been interfered with, been delivered in questionable ways or have just simply gone missing.
What implications are there?
In correlation with the previous points of avoiding wage payments, the first notable implication of these drones is that they will be putting people out of jobs. After all, there becomes little need for an employee when a piece of engineering can do it for you. Just take a look at the supermarket industry, self-service checkouts have meant to need for less staff and the logistics industry could soon follow suit. Reliability is another factor, customers may not want the risk of a drone delivering their packages with fear of technical failures or other unforeseen circumstances.
Delivery drones are just a further reminder that technology is progressing so quickly that it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with. Also, where one company may embrace these advancements, it means that others start to use it to catch up. Ultimately, there is potential for some negative results, but it is almost unthinkable to imagine that there would not be some sort of system in place that can protect jobs while using delivery drones simultaneously.
Be sure to check out this infographic from www.askabsolutely.com detailing some strange items that have been delivered over history. It’s hard to imagine delivery drones carrying some of these items!
