With the enforcement of the revised Aviation Law scheduled for the latter half of 2022, level 4 (non-visual flight in manned areas) flight will be possible, and drone logistics will advance to the practical phase.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has also compiled the "Roadmap 2021 for the Industrial Revolution in the Sky" in order to promote the realization of concrete environmental improvement and technological development.
But why is drone logistics needed now in our country? I would like to introduce the advantages and disadvantages of putting drone logistics into practical use in Japan, including overseas cases.
[Overseas case] Drone delivery urgently required by Korona-ka
It is no exaggeration to say that Corona is the cause of the rapid progress of drone delivery around the world. It is said that the main reasons are the need for a delivery system that can avoid contact with people as much as possible, and the increase in the usage rate of EC sites and the increase in delivery volume due to the increase in home time.
In Japan, the concept of drone logistics itself has not yet penetrated into general, but many companies are already serious about it overseas.
As of 2021, the famous drone delivery company Flirtey and the major pharmaceutical company Vault Health, which received the first flight permission from the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) of the drone delivery demonstration experiment in February in the United States, are based on saliva. Successful drone delivery of COVID-19 inspection. In this way, drones are also useful for transportation to depopulated areas.
In addition, Amazon has been conducting demonstration experiments since 2013 to realize a delivery service by drone called "Amazon Prime Air", and finally in August 2020, the approval of drone delivery was obtained from FAA.
In fact, drone logistics are more advanced in China than in Japan. Antwork, a startup company in Hangzhou, has introduced the logistics system itself to global companies such as Starbucks and Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), and with the permission of the Aviation Bureau in the Hangzhou region, logistics for commercial purposes in urban areas. Has been successful for the first time in the world. In addition, Meituan, which is developing a lifestyle-related service business, started a drone delivery service for actual users in Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province in 2020, and became a hot topic.
How about practical use in Japan?Tokyo is conducting a demonstration experiment of home delivery until March 2022
As a matter of fact, the shortage of drivers due to the increase in delivery volume is occurring in Japan as well as overseas. Rather, the situation is more serious in Japan due to the declining birthrate and aging population. According to the Bank of Japan's Tankan Survey of Enterprises in December 2017, the transportation industry is already understaffed to the worst level of 2 in the item "Employment Personnel Judgment Index".
However, although it lags behind overseas, Japan conducted a demonstration experiment of home delivery using a drone called "Drone Logistics Platform Social Implementation Project in Tokyo" from August 2020 to March 2022. I'm doing it. Five companies participating in this project are KDDI, Japan Airlines, JR East, Weathernews, and Terra Drone.
Source: KDDI
As mentioned at the beginning, the aviation law is scheduled to be revised in the latter half of 2022, so preparations are gradually being made for the realization of drone logistics in Japan as well.
In fact, some are already challenging domestically at the regional level. Sky contact (Ina City), which handles aerial photography using drones (small unmanned aerial vehicles), operates a shopping support delivery service with drones for elderly people living in depopulated towns and villages. There is.
So why has Japan not been able to put the drone logistics into practical use? According to NEC Solution Innovators, one of the largest software companies in Japan, one of the reasons is that companies have not yet felt the benefits of carrying luggage by drone over the town.
Now, let's take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of what will happen if drone logistics is actually put into practical use in Japan.
Benefits | Environmentally friendly and speedy delivery
The first major merit is to solve the shortage of human resources in the transportation industry. There are some other benefits to both the carrier and the recipient.
・ Environmentally friendly unlike truck transportation ・ Low cost among air delivery ・ Delivery to depopulated areas and disaster areas ・ Speedy delivery because it is not affected by traffic congestion ・ No need to contact people
A research report from the University of Washington shows that drones emit less CO2 than truck deliveries when the flight distance is relatively short and the number of destinations is small when comparing which of the drones and trucks has the smaller environmental impact. Has been announced. Now that the SDGs are listed, the fact that we can consider the environment as much as possible toward a sustainable society will help us to put it to practical use.
Even when thinking from the perspective of a consumer like us, there are some nice points. Drones don't get stuck in traffic. Moreover, the flight altitude of the drone in Japan is determined to be less than 150 m, and since it does not collide with other flying objects at this height, it can be delivered more quickly.
Also, although Corona has converged globally, some may still not want to interact with people as much as possible, given the small children and elderly families around them. It can be said that the drone is a service that is kind to such people because it does not require the intervention of people when receiving luggage.
Disadvantages ｜ Delivery to home in bad weather and prevention of theft are issues
But what are the disadvantages?
・ Difficult to deliver to home in bad weather ・ Difficult to verify identity when receiving products ・ Drone may be stolen or troubles such as crime may occur
Unlike airplanes and trucks, drones carry the cardboard that wraps their luggage directly. In that case, we have to think about how to deal with rainy and windy days and snowy days.
In the first place, one of the issues is how to identify the person when receiving the product. However, as of 2018, when Rakuten Mobile Network transmitted the video taken by the drone at "Rakuten Seimei Park Miyagi" (Sendai City) over the 5G network and verified whether it was possible to verify the identity, it was possible to identify the person in the stadium. It is said that The road to achieving high-definition identity verification may not be far away.
Source: Rakuten
It is inevitable that not a few people will steal drones. You must also consider the risk of misuse such as resale and voyeurism.
Summary | Cooperation between the national government and private companies is important for practical use in Japan
The drone industry will further power up its aircraft and technology toward the revision of the Aviation Law in 2022 and the transition to Level 4.
If it is put into practical use, both companies and individuals will be able to experience the merits of transportation that have never been seen before. However, there are still issues to be solved for drones to enter the logistics industry, so cooperation between the national government, multiple private companies and local public organizations will be the key.
References
Source: Roadmap for the Industrial Revolution in the Sky 2020 | Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Source: Will you be the savior of the Japanese logistics world? Four Challenges for "Practical Use of Drone Logistics" | NEC Solution Innovators Source: Will home delivery using drones work? Introducing the advantages and disadvantages! ｜ Asahi Technology Co., Ltd. Source: Drone vs. truck deliveries: Which create less carbon pollution? ｜ UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
Interview / text / Yuridon