The history of parcel delivery has been filled with adaptations, incredible feats of logistics, technological advancements and custom cardboard boxes designed to meet the rigours of increasingly fast transportation.

All of this is to meet the goal of getting vital messages and parcels from one place to another as fast as possible in the tradition of the Pony Express.

However, whilst railway post and airmail have fundamentally changed not just the postal service but the world as a whole, not every delivery innovation has had as large an impact despite their immense promise as a technological innovation.

This is where drone delivery services are at a complex crossroads. Whilst they have already entered use, including on Mount Everest, the precise impact they will have on everyday delivery services and whether they will replace conventional logistics is far less clear.

To understand why, it is important to know how they have rolled out, where they have been used and what has limited their impact.

What Is Drone Delivery?

Drone delivery services are any delivery service that relies on unmanned autonomous vehicles (UAVs), typically known as drones.

These take many forms, but the most common of these are quadcopters, as their four rotors allow for easier flight and the ability to remain in place in a way that other aircraft simply cannot.

These drones are designed to carry a payload of a specific size and weight, are loaded with a particular parcel and are subsequently flown to a target destination, where a recipient takes the package, and the drone flies back.

Alongside several startups and pilot schemes from major logistics companies, the Royal Mail has also undertaken drone delivery trials in order to help rural and island communities, typically only serviceable via ferry.

Drones can either be operated remotely by a human or can be programmed to operate with varying degrees of autonomy to reach a destination as safely as possible.

What Have Drone Delivery Services Been Used For?

At present, the main focus of drone delivery services has been less to supplant conventional delivery logistics and the sheer scale they are used, but instead has been used for rapid deliveries and niche services.

The initial use of drone deliveries was to supply takeaway deliveries, such as coffee, burritos, frozen drinks, pizzas and other foods where there is a consistent system of packaging them and delivering them relatively short distances, much faster than a typical delivery bike or car.

They have also been used to supply critical medical supplies extremely quickly in areas largely inaccessible to traditional ambulances.

Drones On Everest

Most recently, drones have seen increasing use on Mount Everest, where their ability to carry supplies from Base Camp to the lower camps quickly and safely has been credited as a lifesaver.

Historically, supplies have needed to be carried by Sherpas across Khumbu Icefall, an extremely dangerous shifting maze of ice, collapsing ice blocks, deceptive snow and bottomless crevasses that have claimed the lives of countless climbers.

Using drones cuts what would be a dangerous seven-hour journey down to around 7 minutes, and whilst climbers have to cross the Khumbu Icefall as part of their expedition, it dramatically reduces the number of times people have to cross and thus the risk of potential collapse and death.

They can provide ladders, ropes, and life-saving supplies such as oxygen tanks, and whilst they cannot reach the top of Everest, as most drones have a maximum altitude of 6000m or roughly 20,000 feet, they can provide a significant emergency service and help save time, which saves lives.

Will Drones Become The Future Of Parcel Delivery?

It was initially thought that drones and autonomous robots would be the future of delivery logistics completely, but as the technology has matured over the past decade, it has become abundantly clear that there are a range of significant limits which make ubiquity unlikely for now.

Some of these are likely to be fixed with evolutions in technology and design principles; whilst overall range and payload capacity are limited, meaning that parcels need to be small, lightweight and typically contained in a specialised container.

As well as this, whilst ideal in relatively clement and controlled weather conditions, the effects of rain, snow, extreme heat and extreme cold on battery life can affect their widespread adoption.

As well as this, some fundamental infrastructure questions have still been left unanswered. 

For example, there is no clear consensus on how a drone can hand over a parcel, something that a delivery driver or postal worker will typically work out once they reach their destination or by interpreting complex instructions.

Ultimately, there is very much a place for drone delivery, but at present that place remains relatively small.