Over the past few years, companies have been working towards commercializing drone delivery services to transport a wide variety of goods such as food, medicine, packages and more. For drone deliveries to become mainstream, it is crucial that strict safety protocols are followed to address risks like mid-air collisions. Here are some of the major safety measures being adopted by drone delivery companies:
Identification and Tracking: One of the most important requirements is that all drones must be identifiable and trackable during flights. Companies like Amazon, Wing and Uber Elevate are fitting their drones with technologies like ADS-B transmitters which broadcast the drone’s location, altitude and speed. This allows the drones to be tracked by air traffic authorities. Some are also exploring painting drones distinctive colors for visual identification.
Geo-fencing and Altitude Restrictions: Geo-fencing involves using GPS and other sensors to create virtual geographical boundaries for drones and restrict their movements to specific designated green zones only. It prevents them from entering near airports, military bases or flying over crowds. Strict altitude ceilings are also imposed – for example, below 400 feet as recommended by the FAA in the U.S. This reduces risks of mid-air collisions.
Collision Avoidance Systems: Sophisticated computer vision, lidar and radar sensors are being integrated in delivery drones to enable detection and avoidance of other aircrafts and obstacles during flights. They can detect objects within a radius of several meters and prompt the drone to change path autonomously. Systems will also be able to receive alerts about nearby aircrafts through technologies like ADS-B.
Remote Identification: New proposed rules require drones to broadcast their unique identifier signal so that they can be identified remotely by law enforcement authorities and other aircrafts. This aids contact tracing in case of any incidents. Some drones may also broadcast operation and location details.
Restricted Operations Over People: Most companies prohibit flights directly over crowds or unauthorized personnel for safety. Emergency response procedures are also in place if landings need to be performed in populated areas.
Beyond Visual Line Of Sight Flights: Deliveries may require drones to fly beyond the pilot or operator’s visual range. Before allowing such operations, companies will need to demonstrate the reliability of their communications and control links as well as the autonomous decision making abilities of drones.
Software And Hardware Redundancies: Critical components like navigation systems, communication radios will feature redundancies with fallback mechanisms. Software validations are carried out to identify flaws. Hardware is also rigorously tested and certified.
Crew Training & Certification: Drone pilots and other crew will need to undergo stringent training procedures, obtain proper certifications and adhere to standard operating procedures. Simulation tests will be conducted to evaluate emergency response capabilities.
Load Restrictions: The maximum permissible payload weight that drones can carry will be strictly governed. Overloading drones increases the propensity of failures and lessens their controllability.
Periodic Maintenance: Scheduled maintenance of drone fleets will ensure continued airworthiness. Any issues identified will promptly get addressed. Data recording capabilities help with incident analysis and safety improvements.
Insurance & Indemnification: Companies must purchase adequate liability insurance and indemnify the public against risks of property damage, injuries or privacy issues arising from drone operations.
Regulatory Compliance: All commercial operations are carried out in compliance with rules laid down by regulating bodies in respective territories. Additional permissions may be mandated for new use cases or technologies.
The effective implementation of such robust safety systems helps allay public fears about invasive drones. Still, as the technology evolves, continuous evaluation and upgrades will be essential to maintain safety standards especially during mass operations handling thousands of daily deliveries. Coordination with aviation and community stakeholders also plays a big role. With a safety-first approach, drone delivery services have the potential to transform numerous industries while protecting lives.