Last mile delivery refers to the last step of the delivery process when a parcel starting from the shelf of a warehouse reaches its final destination through a transportation hub. It is a crucial step that determines the holistic perception of brands by the consumers. It is also the most expensive step as it costs 53% of the overall delivery.
These reasons have led the companies to invest significantly on improving the customer experience and work on last mile delivery strategies. A range of technologies like telematics, hybrid fleet systems, delivery robots etc. are being used for the purpose. Drones are also being considered as an important part of modern logistics operations.
Drones or Unmanned Arial Vehicles are increasingly being used to transport medicines, parcels, groceries, food, and other products. They are accurate, environment-friendly, have shorter delivery time, and operate on lower costs than traditional delivery channels. The GPS technology based advanced navigation systems, and ability to operate autonomously make them better suited for delivery in rural and remote areas.
Drones rely on Motors, Propellers, GPS and other onboard sensors like Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Magnetometer, Barometer, Distance Sensor etc for functioning. A Drone can be fixed wing type that has one rigid wing and works like an airplane. These drones cannot stay in one place and glide on a path set. Another type is VTOL i.e. vertical take-off and landing, these drones, as the name suggests, can take off, hover, and land vertically. Drones are also categorised on basis of rotors used as multi-rotor and fixed-rotor drones.
A Gurugram-based startup, TechEagle, started in 2015 at IIT Kanpur, has developed e-VTOL, an electric vertical take-off and landing (e-VTOL) drone. The drone has a range of 100 km, a payload capacity of 3 kgs and can achieve maximum speed of 120 km/hr. Named Vertiplane X3, the company claims it to be the fastest Made-In-India hybrid drone.
TechEagle was one of the participants at OPEN INNOVATOR MEET where COO & Co-founder, Anshu Abhishek, informed about the accomplishments and plans of his company. The Startup has conducted trials with food delivery companies like Zomato and Swiggy. It has also worked with State Governments of Telangana, Meghalaya and Himachal on delivering medicines and vaccines. The company, recently, has also carried out parcel delivery with India Post in Kutch.
The company also plans creating a network of on-demand drone delivery for healthcare. Drones are being used in various applications like video/photography, inspection, monitoring, and surveying, but in healthcare drones can play very significant role by rapid and targeted delivery of vaccines, medications and supplies. Drones by delivering medical supplies right at the home of the patient can reduce footfall at the hospitals and clinics and hence improve the productivity of medical professionals and emergency responders.
India is witnessing a significant rise in the number of drone start-ups. According to IBEF, since August 2021 drone start-ups in the country has surged by 34.4% to around 350 startups.
