Delivery by drones | From fiction to your steps?

Drones that deliver tools in isolated oil platforms. For example, essential drugs in the distant region, a science fiction scenario? Furthermore, More now. Similarly, A regulatory change in Transport Canada will open new business opportunities in the drones in November.

Posted at 5:00 a.m.

Drone operators will now be able to follow their devices with “other systems than their eyes”. Moreover, such as cameras, explains Pascal Chiva-Bernard, president and co-founder of Roboto ARA, a company selling remote manure drones.

“Regulatory change opens different business models, and delivery is one of them,” says Pascal Chiva-Bernard.

In addition delivery drones | fiction your to being able to direct drones without having them directly in their field of vision. Consequently, operators will be able to pilot heavier drones, up to 150 kg, which can therefore transport larger loads.

They will also have more freedom outside of urban centers. For example, “The lower the density. Consequently, the more [la réglementation] will be permissive, ”says the president of ARA Robotique, a company also working in the defense field launched 11 years ago by former students of the Montreal Higher School of Technology.

“Blood samples, drugs, repair parts” can therefore be delivered, according to Pascal Chiva-Bernard. For example,

The Director General of the Center of Excellence on Alma drones, William de Keiser, also believes that we must prioritize certain products, because “logistics, the purchase of equipment linked to this kind of services there, it can be very expensive”.

Priorities to be defined

The situation in Canada is light years from what is currently prevailing in the United States. Tampa residents. Charlotte, Orlando and Houston, among others, can now order their grocery store at Walmart by Drone, the American giant announced in delivery drones | fiction your June in collaboration with the drones Wing supplier.

“We have designed our devices for the fast delivery of light products in the urban or peri -urban region – evening supper, missing ingredients or drugs to fight a cold,” says Wing, Alphabet property, Google parent company, by email.

“The urban and peri -urban regions suffer the most from road congestion and emissions that result from it. Deliveries without emissions, fast and effective can reduce traffic jams and delivery drones | fiction your deliveries by motorcycle or truck. »»

Wing does not plan to expand up to Canada.

Would such expansion in the country be desirable? “The pizza you order in the evening. the Gugusse that you are going to buy on Amazon, are you ready to pay the price that it costs you to send it to you by the air?” I don’t have the answer, ”says William de Keiser, from the Center of Excellence.

The full professor in the electrical engineering department of Polytechnique Montréal David Saussié risks. an answer: he judges that the delivery by drone must be limited to “reasoned use”.

According to Mr. SAUSSIÉ. mass delivery should be avoided in the city by drones because of the large volume and the difficulty of establishing air corridors for vehicles.

The president of Ara Robotique. Pascal Chiva-Bernard, judges that delivery in the city is “much more difficult” than elsewhere, due to the important air and land traffic.

However, he hopes to get there, seeing significant business potential on drone delivery in town, but also in information, surveillance and security.

delivery drones | fiction your

“We could replace a lot of things that are currently done with helicopters,” he explains.

Delivery drones | fiction your

Security first

But so that they can be piloted in town. drones will have to guarantee their reliability, which may ultimately increase their price.

The drones sector has developed by not being “absolutely certified. governed”, allowing it to develop low-cost products, explains Pascal Chiva-Bernard.

Drone companies could therefore have to change their supply chain to guarantee the reliability of their devices. which would therefore be sold at a higher cost.

“A plane is in millions of dollars, a drone, in thousands,” he said. Many of the millions of dollars in the cost of helicopters come from certification. »»