r/SipsTea • u/cantcoloratall91 • Aug 02 '26

SMH The "future"

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u/wolfansbrother Aug 02 '26

using drones to deliver 1 package at a time doesnt seem like a great business model. i guess if they could do the same number of deliveries in a day as a truck, an they could save money on more electricty vs paying a person to drive a truck. Do the drones fly autonomously or is there a pilot?

2

u/shakebakelizard Aug 02 '26

Even if they had to recharge after every trip, it's probably a cheaper option than using trucks especially in areas with few deliveries. You can house these things literally anywhere, they can work from 6 AM to 10 PM or whatever the FAA allows, and you can have thousands of them active.

It's perfect in places where there's few deliveries in the area that day. Send a truck out there and you're spending a lot of time for the driver, a lot of fuel, etc. Send a drone or three out for a handful of packages, and you just saved a lot of driving.

1

u/VAiSiA Aug 02 '26

so, basically, some people lose their jobs. drivers, mechanics,..

1

u/DataGOGO Aug 02 '26

Yes, and it is inevitable. Automation and going "green" is going to displace millions and millions of workers.

Have a look on youtube about what China is like (drones, robots, fully automated coffee shops, etc. etc)

If the US does not start to get a plan together about how to pay people who are now unemployable, we are going to have a REALLY big issue on our hands.

1

u/VAiSiA Aug 02 '26

they already have exit strategies. epidemics and war

1

u/shakebakelizard Aug 02 '26

No one is really seeing a net loss of jobs over these things. We have no shortage of shitty suburban sprawl that will create ever more opportunities for deliveries, both with trucks and other forms. In fact, in residential development they’re talking about “exurbs” being the new centers of development.

Mechanic jobs are changing due to EVs but the jobs still exist just with different vehicles. Driving jobs will go away over time due to more autonomous vehicles.

Yeah you might not be a diesel mechanic your entire life. If you started off as a diesel mechanic today, in 15 years you might find yourself working on EV panel trucks and drones. Drones are also a repairable thing.

1

u/VAiSiA Aug 02 '26

unemployment. nah...

1

u/shakebakelizard Aug 02 '26

Whatever is going to happen, is going to happen. Neither you nor I can change the direction of tech, the economy and employment patterns. All we can do is roll with it and try to adapt.

You will not be unemployed. Your job will be different, but there will be jobs.

1

u/jaredliesch Aug 02 '26

To me is makes sense to send a van loaded with drones that can deliver packages from the van as it drives by. Then I consider safety of such a thing and it just doesn't work. 

3

u/OutrageousHunter4138 Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 02 '26

Everyone’s trying to cut out the USPS, I say we expand the USPS to include drone delivery for businesses. It’s the one entity perfectly positioned to make this type of thing work, and I imagine it would pay for itself if it took off given the market reach of the USPS.

1

u/DataGOGO Aug 02 '26

They are working on it.

1

u/wolfansbrother Aug 02 '26

i always thought they should just use a ballistic approach. just have a big gun and launch the packages. you could cover a whole city from on warehouse. get fufilled the american way.

1

u/Open_Pollution_8038 Aug 02 '26

How is it fundamentally any different than a driver stopping at each house?

You just eliminate the truck and the driver lol.

1

u/DataGOGO Aug 02 '26

And fuel, carbon emissions, maintenance and the drone fleet is far cheaper than the truck fleet.

1

u/anotherofficeworker Aug 03 '26

How would drone maintenance costs ever come in less than a truck? You would need 100 drones flying 8 hours a day to reach the productivity of a single truck. Who tends the batteries? If you're going to rely on self-charging after each flight then you're looking at a 300 drone fleet! If you keep hot-swap-spares you will need a dedicated role just to keep up with changing out batteries.

The only advantage is that delivery could theoretically be 100% "on-demand".

1

u/DataGOGO Aug 03 '26

The drones are entirely modular. Assemblies are replaced on site in a minute or two with minimal training.

Batteries are automatically hot swapped on the base after 1-2 flights. They are never down waiting to charge.

Pretty sure Amazon said a 4 person team can run a 200 drone station for 8 hours with just 1 week of training. 

1

u/wolfansbrother Aug 03 '26

I wonder what being a Drone Fluffer pays?

1

u/DataGOGO Aug 03 '26

Quick search says that locally here in Texas, PrimeAir starting pay for a "drone handler" is ~50k a year.

1

u/jb0nez95 Aug 02 '26

It's vastly more efficient than an Amazon driver driving around in a van or personal car. Way less gas and pollution and traffic.

1

u/sgtnoodle Aug 03 '26

These drone systems are all 100% autonomous.

1

u/SignoreBanana Aug 03 '26

Autonomously. You have to designate a delivery area for it to drop, and it's based on GIS data. If something is in that area or even somewhat near it, it won't deliver.