Drone Delivery- Delivering goods or cyber threats?

Unmanned aerial vehicles have created a great impact and great ease on the number of operations held in several industries. and this latest technology allowed a reliable and more reassuring degree of trust in UVA.

What is drone delivery?

Drone delivery is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) used to deliver lightweight packages, including medical supplies, food, home care, groceries, and other goods. This drone delivery is a last-mile delivery, which is why it gained importance as a widespread.  it provides delivery of goods in a short period of time. And drone delivery is an environment-friendly operation.  In drone delivery, there are rechargeable batteries and the drones are operated remotely or autonomously, by the operator. The drone delivery packages for delivery attach to the underneath of the drone which is light in weight and in several countries drone delivery is being used for time-sensitive deliveries.  The drone was initially introduced for the purpose of military or police operations and for surveillance and monitoring against any targeted attacks. And there were various other uses of this technology identifying the defects in pipeline/gas lines and the health of crops, identifying the hotspot in fire situations, and surveillance of mining and of construction areas.

Vulnerability of drones

Commercially drone delivery is getting massive interest from people in the field of business and even though it just came to market, its sale tripled in 2015 as per the federal aviation administration. But new research from Baltimore, Maryland-based John Hopkins University raised this issue regarding the security of drones as one of their drones was hacked by one of its members, which took control of the drone and even caused it to crash. The one major concern is there in drones that mainstream the use of privacy, the drones can easily be hijacked and manipulated and it could result in trespass into authorized areas like airports and military areas, these types of activities by third parties can cause violations into the privacy of any organization. The surveillance is an advantage but could amount to disadvantages when done by a third party. The risk is there in drones as they could be attacked and private information can be extracted from them and can be used against, and corruption or can cause damage to it.

The drones can also be hacked and stolen or the drone can be hacked and hijacked and can be used as a weapon to injure a crowd and fall from high elevation or from the rotors causing bodily injury to people. And there is another research as well which says that drones are not secure for the purpose of security. The researcher disclosed the security flaws to the drone manufacturer in a vulnerable disclosure packet.

Possible outcomes of drone delivery

The UAVs got massive widespread because they could be used to monitor places that are potentially hazardous and humans cannot go there then drones can be used and notify authorities if threatening conditions are detected.  Apart from risky areas, drones can be used in areas where can humans can too. And in drone systems, there is automation which shows the potential for reducing the risk of error. Reliance on humans can cause an error but not in the case of drones. And there is the availability of low-cost drones which is the reason for the mainstream. And there is no need for exclusive technical knowledge about drones, anyone can easily operate them. And, the use of technology like blockchain and artificial intelligence makes it possible to drone to have a secure and reliable system. Drones are now used for high-stakes roles regarding security as it has heightened security.

Conclusion-

The UAVs have both pros and cons in drone delivery systems, there can be changes to make the drones security-proof, and there are some loopholes in drones that could amount to risk but drones are set to become the future of logistics with reduced cost, drone will be available to every person who is in business, and there is a future in drones as it is the last-mile delivery and 40 % to 70 % lower than vehicle delivery.  The drone will transport in inaccessible areas, where places are affected by war and contagious diseases. The hardware and software will be improved and provide a wide range of capabilities. And there will be new technology in drones where the drones will be smaller and consume less electricity hence more flying time. The government regulations will allow more people to operate UAVs. This technology will prove helpful to society at large. And stores could experience efficiency and convenience with their local presence and online retailer like amazon can offer deliveries at low cost.  The adopters will be winners as they will provide service at a cheaper cost.