Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are increasingly being used to deliver medical supplies and other goods. In the U.S., where e-commerce grew by 30% rate in 2020, drone deliveries are expected to become a 7 billion US dollar market by 2027.

Two recent publications by Miguel Figliozzi of Portland State University (PSU) explore different aspects of optimizing and improving upon the use of UAVs for e-commerce deliveries.

Figliozzi is a professor of civil and environmental engineering and a member of the Transportation Research Board on Urban Freight committee, and his main research areas are transportation systems modeling, statistical analysis, and optimization. He has published a number of papers analyzing drone delivery and other areas of freight transportation.

WHAT DO TECHNOLOGICAL IMPROVEMENTS MEAN FOR DELIVERY DRONES?

Though many studies have proposed several different types of models for drones, there is a lack of understanding of the current and future limits of drone technologies for deliveries.

"Analyzing the Impact of Technological Improvements on the Performance of Delivery Drones," published in Transportation Research Procedia, fills this gap by analyzing future capabilities of drones that can perform vertical takeoff and landing.

The results show that substantial range and payload gains could be expected in the near future as a result of improvements in battery technology and drone design.

The analysis also indicates that hybrid designs are likely to have a higher impact in rural areas, where major gains in range and payload are expected. 

WHAT IS THE OPTIMAL FLEET SIZE FOR COURIER DRONES?

The second paper, "Modeling optimal drone fleet size considering stochastic demand," was co-authored by Yuval Hadas of Israel's Bar Ilan University and published in the EURO Journal on Transportation and Logistic. It offers a robust modeling approach to provide optimal drone fleet sizing guidelines.

The last mile delivery is particularly challenging when dealing with an unpredictable number of deliveries that have narrow time windows. Companies or drone operators face tradeoffs in terms of fleet size, type of drone, revenue, operating costs, energy consumption, and lost sales. Fleet size and aircraft type both have significant impacts on delivery costs, as does payload. The modeling solution developed in this paper can help delivery service providers manage the trade offs related to fleet size and drone type. 

Portland State University's Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) is home to the U.S. DOT funded National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI), PORTAL, BikePed Portal and other transportation grants and programs. We produce impactful research and tools for transportation decision makers, expand the diversity and capacity of the workforce, and engage students and professionals through education and participation in research. To get updates about what's going on at TREC, sign up for our monthly newsletter or follow us at the links below.

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