'Delivery by drone' faces challenges

Director of programme to develop civilian airspace for UAVs says technology needs 'validating'

Google's demonstration of 'delivery by drone' in the Australian outback in the summer illustrated the potential of unmanned aerial vehicles to perform tasks for consumers but many regulatory and technical hurdles remain before such feats of engineering become commonplace, the head of the Astraea programme has said.

The aim of the British programme, which has so far run for eight years, is to enable the routine use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in all classes of airspace without the need for restrictive or specialised conditions of operation.

Google demonstrated an aircraft called Project Wing that is larger than many rival drones, with a wingspan of approximately 1.5m (4.9ft), and powered by four electrically-driven propellers. So far it has successfully delivered small items, including a first aid kit, candy bars, dog treats, and water to farmers in Queensland, Australia. The prototype Google drone is able to hover above its destination and drops its load on a string.

Astraea director Lambert Dopping-Hepenstal said that the “real expansion of the market” for civilian, commercial uses of UAVs would only occur when the technologies underpinning them had been successfully validated, having been developed. “We need to prove to the regulators that they are safe,” he told PE.

He added that UAVs faced a number of challenges to operate safely in civilian airspace compared to counterparts in the military, or those unmanned aircraft being used in very hazardous or emergency scenarios, such as dropping flame retardant material, where there was more margin for error. The onus was on firms to convince the government pilotless aircraft could safely share civil airspace. One day, long-endurance solar-powered aircraft would be used to provide communications links as a result, Dopping-Hepenstal said.