With the rapid development of modern intelligent logistics and transportation technologies and the accelerated intelligent revolution brought about by the pandemic, various industries are pursuing more intelligent and digital development models. In the logistics industry, unmanned delivery is gradually emerging and attracting attention. This article will introduce the key technologies of unmanned delivery applications and their advantages and disadvantages for reference.
(Unmanned delivery)
1. What technologies are used in unmanned delivery?
(1) High-precision map data
High-precision maps in autonomous driving systems are a type of map information entirely geared towards robots. They differ significantly from traditional maps in terms of data content and the way key information is expressed. Therefore, the acquisition, production processes, and data applications of high-precision maps differ considerably. The methods for acquiring high-precision map data also differ greatly from those for traditional maps. Most traditional map data can be collected in batches using methods such as total stations and satellite image matching. Due to the high requirements for high-precision map data, the acquisition methods primarily rely on the acquisition of laser point cloud data and the processing of data obtained from other high-precision sensing devices.
(2) Big Data Technology
Besides high-precision map data, the operation of autonomous vehicles itself is a data-driven perception activity. Utilizing various sensors, autonomous vehicles can perceive real-time road conditions. As the number of autonomous vehicles in operation increases, the data perception range can cover more areas and scenarios, thus achieving real-time data updates. This data update model, relying on a large amount of driving perception data, is called "crowdsourced" data updating and is the main technical method for map updates in the field of autonomous driving. These two technologies provide reliable guidance for the actions of autonomous vehicles.
(3) Intelligent route planning centered on delivery tasks
The core task of unmanned delivery vehicles is to deliver goods to users. Therefore, the navigation route planning of unmanned delivery vehicles needs to take into account user orders, including address analysis functions and multi-channel delivery planning.
Address analysis: Mainstream map data service providers offer geocoding services, which can convert addresses into latitude and longitude information.
Multi-point delivery: To improve delivery efficiency, unmanned delivery vehicles or robots will deliver to multiple points along the way to a certain area on each trip. When making multi-point deliveries, it is necessary to determine the delivery volume based on the cargo capacity of the unmanned vehicle itself, and ensure that the delivery route can be planned uniformly according to the principle of the shortest path or the shortest time.
2. Advantages and disadvantages of unmanned delivery
(1) Advantages of unmanned delivery
Highly flexible and unrestricted by traffic or terrain. Currently, the main models of unmanned delivery include drone delivery and driverless vehicle delivery. Drones offer high flexibility in the delivery process, can be intelligently scheduled, are not limited by traffic or terrain, can deliver in a straight line, and can complete delivery in a short time.
Improving work efficiency and reducing manpower input. Unmanned delivery reflects the efforts of many R&D companies specializing in unmanned equipment in the fight against the pandemic, such as Deepin AI and Keenon Robotics. During the pandemic, unmanned delivery equipment requires no rest, can operate 24/7 without pressure, and its delivery efficiency far exceeds that of humans.
Reduced human-to-human contact. Unmanned delivery avoids human contact and eliminates the need for drivers. In the face of major disasters, it can prevent the disaster from worsening or spreading.
(2) Disadvantages of unmanned delivery
Public acceptance of unmanned delivery is low. When unmanned delivery emerged, not only drivers but also delivery workers felt their jobs were being robbed. Delivery workers believe that companies using delivery robots to replace people is essentially a way to save on operating and labor costs, which threatens their livelihoods.
The regulatory system is inadequate. In Europe, Germany uses a licensing system to regulate unmanned delivery vehicles, requiring applications to the government before they can be driven on the road; the UK regulates these vehicles as micro-mobility vehicles, implicitly classifying them as motor vehicles. It is clear that the regulatory boundaries for unmanned delivery vehicles are not clearly defined by the government.
The above summarizes the key technologies and advantages/disadvantages of unmanned delivery, and we hope it will be helpful to you.
