Amazon Workers Strike, Delivery Delays, Google Drone Delivery Doubles Performance

Drone delivery has been realized as early as a few years ago, but recently, its existence has become particularly important. As the epidemic situation in the United States becomes more severe, many states have issued "stay-at-home orders". When going out for shopping has become a luxury, drones appear to deliver medicines and food to people, which can be said to be a timely help.

This year's global pandemic of the novel coronavirus has made us more dependent on online shopping. However, faced with the surge in online shopping orders, the shortage of delivery personnel and the lack of safety protection measures, the logistics work of various e-commerce platforms has also ushered in a huge test.

Previously, during the domestic anti-epidemic process, unmanned delivery vehicles and delivery robots solved the "last mile" delivery problem in dangerous places such as hospitals and quarantine hotels.

In the United States, Google's Wing drones have also recently begun to enter the logistics and distribution industry on a large scale, and have achieved quite good results.

Amazon workers strike, logistics and delivery receive negative reviews

Amazon probably didn't expect that the surge in online shopping demand would catch them off guard.

At the end of March, employees at Amazon's distribution center said they were worried about contracting the virus because they could not maintain a safe distance during the delivery process.Some employees at Amazon's Staten Island warehouse went on strike.They asked the company to close the warehouse and clean and disinfect it.

Amazon's situation is not optimistic as the surge in orders coincides with worker strikes and delivery delays.Amazon, which has always been regarded as a model of service and logistics, has received negative reviews for its express delivery.

Users reported that "two-day delivery" felt more like "one-day delivery," and many items seemed to have become permanently "unavailable for purchase."The punctuality of online shopping is no longer guaranteed.

In this case, drone delivery may be able to solve the delivery problems currently faced by e-commerce platforms.

U.S.: Drone delivery helps store sales surpass normal times

Back in 2014, Google's X department's project Project Wing,It launched its first drone delivery service and received certification from the Federal Aviation Administration late last year.

Its first flight took place in Queensland, Australia, and Wing has conducted tens of thousands of test flights since then.

Despite this, drone deliveries have always seemed to be lukewarm.During this epidemic, Wing came in handy, with business volume doubling.

Wing, a subsidiary of Google's parent company Alphabet, said the number of customers using its drone delivery service has increased dramatically, with its Wing drones delivering 1,000 items to customers in the past two weeks.More than 1,000 deliveries were completed, mainly delivering food and medicine.

"We are working hard to support local businesses that are unable to open their doors in the near term by delivering products directly to customers' homes," said Jonathan Bass, a spokesman for Wing.

He added, “Although the payload of drones is limited,But with drone delivery, the order can be completed within minutes.”

After using drones for delivery, the store's sales performance exceeded normal levels. Mockingbird Cafe, a coffee shop, sold more than 10,000 items during its first weekend of cooperation with Wing.Wing's drones sold 50% more pastries than they normally would in the store.

As a result, Amazon, United Parcel Service and many small businesses have also begun experimenting with drone deliveries.

Japan: Drone delivery of seafood for same-day delivery

In Japan, drones are also being used to deliver goods. Unlike in the United States, Japan’s drones deliver local food ingredients—seafood.

Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, seafood has not lost its important position in Japan. In order to allow customers to eat the freshest seafood in a timely manner,Yamaha Corporation and Japan Airlines are now studying the use of drones for same-day seafood delivery services.

Employees from the two companies conducted a field test in February in the Goto Islands, Japan, a location in Nagasaki Prefecture, about 1,000 kilometers west of Tokyo.

The test began at Shangjing Airport on Zhongtong Island, where they put 20 kg of freshly caught longtooth grouper and other fish into an insulated box and then hung it under a Yamaha Fazer R G2 unmanned helicopter.

Designed for autonomous flight beyond the user's line of sight, the Fazer R G2 is powered by a four-stroke fuel-injected engine.It can carry a maximum payload of 35 kg at altitudes up to 2,800 meters.

The drone then took off and flew about 35 kilometers to Saikai on Kyushu Island. Upon arrival, the box was removed from the drone by employees there and loaded onto a commercial flight of Japan Airlines, arriving at a restaurant in Tokyo that same day.

The helicopter was flying at an altitude of 100 meters.Approximately 40 minutesThe journey from Nakadori Island to Kyushu was completed.

In contrast,The same trip by car and ferry would take nearly 3 hours.

The takeoff and landing of the drone are all controlled by radio remote control by ground staff. Personnel in Yamaha's Unmanned Drone Systems Office monitor the drone's flight progress through video and other data transmitted by satellite.

Judging from the above cases, drone delivery exceeds human delivery in terms of efficiency, safety and health. However,Limitations on drone payload and flight time, as well as requirements for open space in transportation sites, are still issues that need to be addressed in the future.

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