Where are the drones?
 

UPS in Portland will use an electric-assist tricycle to make their deliveries. This is a huge potential of a large corporation and business sector - local delivery services using larger e-trikes as a part of their delivery system and cleaning up the environment. The Portland UPS already uses bicycles for smaller parcels and on a seasonal basis. This e-trike is capable of delivering larger packages, capacity payload up to 600 pounds. They have a windshield and top cover for the driver and could navigate around tight urban networks. They are built locally in Portland's Truck Trikes. The 250 lbs human-electric trike has a separated drive train, a front wheel drive pedal system, electric hub motors at the rear wheels and a covered low cargo bed

UPS trials delivery-by-e-bike in US

Truck Trike

https://vimeo.com/156055086

Nice. Good for employment, good for package safety, good for people. Having chat with postman is much more desirable than being hit by drone missing a package landing zone.

Dunno about that, for what I've heard in the US they just leave your package at the front door if you aren't home. As far as jobs go, are you also against street lights that aren't lit by hand?

Anyway, urban delivery by bike is nothing new, about 90% of the urban mail here is delivered by bike, either pedal or moped.

Mercedes has an interesting vision for their future deliveries:

https://youtu.be/ve63xdzc3hg

United Parcel Service is the world's largest package/parcel delivery service. The exponential growth of e-commerce has made them essential in making deliveries to your doorstep. Yes, we leave parcels in front of our doors. They can leave packages in front of our doorsteps, only if you authorize them without the need of a signature, UPS My Choice. (unfortunately, #1 Xmas package thefts)

As a 18 year letter carrier from the Post Office let me give you the scoop. First, the person mailing the package is technically the customer. The one receiving the package has not paid the post office a dime directly. So the customer, the #1 being Amazon, has instructed the USPS to deliver the package no matter what.

We get way more complaints on a package not being left, then we do on one being left when the person didn't want it left. So same thing back at these companies. They would rather resend a stolen package then have a culture where their customers have to drive to the PO or the UPS hub and pick up their stuff. At that point the customers will just go to the Walmart down the street to get their goods.

I'm all for automation but drones are a long way off. Don't you think a ground robot will come before a flying one? The first step will probably be a driverless van, but with a person inside to actually run the package to the door. Even that is years off still. I will be long retired before my job is ever eliminated by a machine. I'm also positive those people on my route who were alive when I was there will miss the days of when they did get service with a smile from me

Ground robots might be viable too, but these might be more directed to applications within a shorter range from their bases. A drone might also be more advantageous at escaping traffic jams, which may render them more desirable for quick deliveries.


I honestly believe robots are more likely to take over dangerous and dirty jobs, while other tasks would still become at least an excuse for human interaction. Even though a robot might become a good aid for an elder or a disabled, I would be concerned about mental health implications of a "robotized" society.

A tesla can't seem to detect a tractor trailer in front of it, what makes you think a drone with much less processor and instrumentation will be able to see you?

It might be basically a matter of time for the technology needed by a fully-autonomous (or just semi-autonomous) drone to reach commercial viability anyway.

Yes some day but not right now.

Except the Tesla was programmed to look UNDER the trailer, hence the accident. All Teslas were immediately reprogrammed after that accident. IMHO it was really a case of natural selection at work.

So it was programmed to crash into something like a tractor trailer crossing the road. Oh that's even better.

Yes. They were programmed to look for vehicles of a normal height, but the trailer, particularly high off the ground, plus the angle the Tesla was approaching it, meant it looked clear underneath the trailer. Oops. Slight design flaw!

Sort of a big design flaw, it should only be programmed to drive under things taller than the car is. You only have to fix things that are broken or wrong. Don't get me wrong, I can't wait for automated traffic but in current form the Tesla system should sense both a drivers hand on the wheel and eyes forward or it should disengage. My phone knows when I'm looking at it, the Tesla could as well monitor the driver as well as the road. To many people perceive this as autopilot not a driving aid. Maybe they also should not call it autopilot. Or just keep a big pile of money around to pay the lawsuits.

I want a transponder for my bike that will be recognized by other vehicles and traffic control devices.

Coming from a computer-engineering background, I'd place the blame on "...poor programming..."

"List your assumptions" - Joseph P. Goncz