Why drone deliveries are not happening

By: Teddy Nedelcu

Picture this Scene

A small electric drone glides between Vancouver’s glass towers on its way to your building. Your balcony is too small, so the aircraft lands on a shared rooftop locker you can reach by elevator. The hardware for this dazzling shortcut exists today.

Five Big Hurdles

• Safety first. The risk of a drone (and package) falling on someone's head or the rotos taking out some eyeballs are the first thing agencies like the FAA and Transport Canada must approve. They will not loosen the standards that keep passengers safe just because a parcel is lighter than an airplane.
• Flying beyond sight. For regular deliveries the drone must travel farther than any operator can see. New “out of sight” rules are still being drafted, tested, and re-drafted. Learn more about that here.
• Batteries can burn. A delivery drone’s lithium pack holds motorcycle-level energy. If it crashes that power source can burst into toxic flames.
• City wind is wild. Turbo-gusts race between high-rises and surprise gulls often attack shiny objects. Unlike airplanes, drones cannot glide. They drop straight down if something goes wrong, package and all, onto whoever is below.
• Crowded airwaves. Ever had internet problems despite your phone saying "5G" with full bars? The urban setting has incredibly crowded radio signals. Like talking with a friend while at a loud concert, our devices have to function amidst a million more devices talking at the same time.

So When Will It Happen?

It is definetly coming, but for any autonomous robots flying over humans, the FAA and TC want hard empirical evidence that whatever we put up there will be as safe as flying in a plane. Expect small trials on quiet suburban edges long before humming couriers weave safely over downtown crowds.

Lucian Nedelcu (Teddy), IT consultant
📧 teddyn@teddytech.net
📱 Signal (secure): @teddy.59
🔗 Linkedin: teddynedelcu

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