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Ask HN: What happened to drone delivery service?

4 points by boringg 4y ago

aaaddaaaaa1112 4y ago
It is getting developed... it is already available in some areas though for some type of items... https://www.ecommercenext.org/top-10-commercial-drone-delivery-companies/ https://www.ecommercenext.org/top-10-commercial-drone-delive...
dexwiz 4y ago
FAA tightened rules in regards to commercial use of drones. Except for the most extreme cases, it's still cheaper to send someone with a vehicle than the infrastructure/approval/operating costs of sending a drone.
verdverm 4y ago
You'll hear it when it comes. I suspect there will be complaints about the noise if rolled out in a significant amount. It would seem cheaper to stay on the ground, lifting things and keeping them off the ground is quite expensive by comparison.
coppolaemilio 4y ago
This mini-documentary explains it pretty well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-M98KLgaUU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-M98KLgaUU TL;DW: No-fly zones, costs, and drones not being intelligent enough to detect where they are going to drop off packages. It is cheaper and easier to do the last mile via traditional methods than dealing with all the risks and limitations of flying.
totalview 4y ago
It is not that viable. Even large drones cannot carry more than a few kilos for 40 minutes (on one set of batteries). It just doesn’t have good ROI, and is mainly a PR move by Amazon and some VC funded startups. I accept there are some practical applications, but a human on a bike/ on foot is a lot more efficient than buying and maintaining a fleet of mini aircraft. Source: I run a drone company
- mtmail 4y ago
  The prototype tests I've read about transported medication (little weight, high value) across either remote area (Tansania) or across water (DHL to a German island) where a human-on-bike wouldn't have an advantage. The test setups made sense but it's only a tiny nieche of logistics overall.
billybuckwheat 4y ago
Is there a lot of demand for this from consumers? Enough demand from consumers to make drone delivery profitable? Drone delivery could be a good option for delivering to hard-to-access places, but as one poster pointed out it's only a tiny niche of logistics overall.

4 points by boringg 4y ago

It is getting developed... it is already available in some areas though for some type of items... https://www.ecommercenext.org/top-10-commercial-drone-delivery-companies/ https://www.ecommercenext.org/top-10-commercial-drone-delive...

dexwiz 4y ago

FAA tightened rules in regards to commercial use of drones. Except for the most extreme cases, it's still cheaper to send someone with a vehicle than the infrastructure/approval/operating costs of sending a drone.

verdverm 4y ago

You'll hear it when it comes. I suspect there will be complaints about the noise if rolled out in a significant amount. It would seem cheaper to stay on the ground, lifting things and keeping them off the ground is quite expensive by comparison.

coppolaemilio 4y ago

This mini-documentary explains it pretty well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-M98KLgaUU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-M98KLgaUU TL;DW: No-fly zones, costs, and drones not being intelligent enough to detect where they are going to drop off packages. It is cheaper and easier to do the last mile via traditional methods than dealing with all the risks and limitations of flying.

totalview 4y ago

It is not that viable. Even large drones cannot carry more than a few kilos for 40 minutes (on one set of batteries). It just doesn’t have good ROI, and is mainly a PR move by Amazon and some VC funded startups. I accept there are some practical applications, but a human on a bike/ on foot is a lot more efficient than buying and maintaining a fleet of mini aircraft. Source: I run a drone company

mtmail 4y ago
The prototype tests I've read about transported medication (little weight, high value) across either remote area (Tansania) or across water (DHL to a German island) where a human-on-bike wouldn't have an advantage. The test setups made sense but it's only a tiny nieche of logistics overall.

billybuckwheat 4y ago

Is there a lot of demand for this from consumers? Enough demand from consumers to make drone delivery profitable? Drone delivery could be a good option for delivering to hard-to-access places, but as one poster pointed out it's only a tiny niche of logistics overall.