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Comment by Nextgrid | Hacker News Reader

> There is a demand for fast transportation of medical supplies [emphasis mine]

Is there really?

I understand that for non-fungible, perishable goods such as organs or test samples there might be a need (though a helicopter would do just as well), but when it comes to supplies, it will be significantly cheaper to just make more of them and stock up on them at each hospital rather than moving them back & forth (not to mention that this particular trial only ranged for 40 miles - this is something a car can easily do).

It won't work unless it's cheaper than the alternatives, and I can't see it being cheaper than just optimizing logistics elsewhere to ensure you have a big enough stock of medical supplies to not need regular drone deliveries (and when you do, a helicopter is an adequate backup plan).

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> though a helicopter would do just as well

It's very very easy to be cheaper than a helicopter. Drones can require zero or minimal labor, move fast, and run on electricity.

If we can have them carry a decent weight and have good reliable ways to get them from and to where they need to go, they will revolutionize delivery. Door dash will be obsolete.

Ad-hoc drones being able to take off, fly and land anywhere? Sure, at least in theory. In practice, even Amazon and various well-funded, profit-driven players couldn’t make it work (drone delivery was very hyped up ~5 years ago) so I have no expectation that an incompetent government will achieve anything other than getting fleeced by consultancies.

In addition, the Amazon/DoorDash model isn’t even what we’re talking about here - this is a predefined, specific route with the last mile still handled by conventional vehicles, so it is even worse.

What if my house is inside restricted airspace (like most of the urban population)?

That's where predefined corridors are important. Let drones fly over restricted airspace with some registration and along "air roads".

Sure, but I’m referring to the notion of last mile delivery. It won’t work except in rural areas.

Why wouldn't it work? A drone can just fly right up to your doorstep. Getting it right is a tough job, but nothing about it is impractical.

So your 'predefined corridors' up-thread are going to lead to every doorstep?

Maybe the drones operate along aerial highways, and use a Wile E. Coyote-esque claw to release their payload on a parachute?

Over every home enough that the only worry of the drone is dodging yard stuff (trees, and buildings, mostly?), at least.

If we could all have landing pads like we have mail boxes, something with a fence, it would be much better.

So major cities are just one big pre-defined 'corridor'? What's the point, may as well just un-restrict it at that point?

You are generally want to have corridors so that you know where the drones are going to be, so you wouldn't just unrestrict everything, you'd have specific paths that the drones need to take to and from their destinations, like roads on the ground.

You don't leave it free space because then you have all sorts of drones whizzing around in all sorts of random and uncontrolled directions and that creates a lot of clutter that will cause crashing.

Zipline (https://www.flyzipline.com/) seems to be doing this well in their specific market niche.

In an area with unpaved dirt roads.

Indeed. Seems little sense for this in mainland England. The sensible applications are Highlands and Islands.

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