The vision of delivery drones

Abstract

The vision of drone-based delivery is not without presuppositions. To fully realize this vision, it is imperative to overcome the many technical and regulatory obstacles. Given the considerable depth of engagement of this technology – the airspace around us, which has so far only been used by birds and the occasional helicopter, would change profoundly – a number of typical technology assessment (TA) questions are on the table: Are there any safety concerns? Are there any environmental risks? Could criminals or terrorists misuse the technology? Are we going to face societal conflict in view of divergent interests? Is the current regulatory framework sufficient, or do we need new rules? This article provides a broad outline of this topic, gives first answers to the above mentioned questions, and concludes that an encompassing participatory TA study is needed.