Do you prefer your deliveries made to your home by person or by drone? Well maybe we haven't gotten that far but we will... Oh yes, we will.
Someday I'd imagine that will be a box you can check and there may even be an additional charge if you decide you want to have one of those filthy humans bring your package by the old fashioned way. Maybe not. It all depends on if they can get away with it or not right?
In today's article I'm going to review some of the recent developments in the drone ecommerce arena as it seems the future is almost at our doorstep in this respect.
The first article I'd like to discuss briefly is one entitled 'JD.com and Rakuten combine forces to become drone powerhouse in Japan' which was published just the other day and had a lot of interesting information to share on the subject of drone deliveries.
If you are not familiar with JD its like the Amazon of Asia in competition with other providers like Lazada, Alibaba and a few other names floating about.
Well it turns out that JD.com and Rakuten have signed an agreement that will see JD.com’s drones and autonomous delivery robots utilized in Rakuten’s unmanned delivery solutions in Japan.
The agreement will see Beijing-based JD.com combine its expertise in developing drones and autonomous delivery robots with Tokyo-based Rakuten’s expertise in drone delivery service operations in Japan, such as its dedicated shopping apps.
The two e-commerce companies will also collaborate on Rakuten’s lineup of unmanned delivery services to suit a wide range of applications and situations.
What this all means is that Amazon is going to have its work cut out for them keeping up. Just a decade ago China was way behind on tech IP.
Now Huawei is kicking major behind and giving Apple a run for its money. There's a race going on to dominate the future economy and all parties are trying their best to get the biggest piece of the pie!
“We are delighted to begin this collaboration with JD.com, which boasts the most cutting-edge proprietary delivery network in China as well as a track record and know-how in delivery with drones and UGVs,” said Koji Ando, the group managing executive officer at Rakuten.
“By utilizing JD.com’s drones and UGVs with the unmanned delivery solutions created by Rakuten, we hope to accelerate innovation in the Japanese logistics sector and contribute to building a society that can offer greater convenience to all citizens.”
“We have been using drones and autonomous delivery robots for real deliveries in China for over two years,” added Jun Xiao, president of JD-X, JD’s logistics innovation lab.
The age of drone deliveries is not far off along with everything else we are going to experience in the coming decade. Self driving cars, robots being used in far more applications and all sorts of new innovations zipping around here and there! Doesn't it sound fun?
But one has to ask, do we really need drone based deliveries? What is wrong with good old human based deliveries?
Well I think this comment by Jun Xiao sort of strikes the heart of the matter below:
“This is one way we are innovating to make logistics more accessible, reliable and cost-effective. In Japan there are many opportunities for drones to make deliveries in mountainous areas, remote islands and in emergency situations. As we push the bounds of what our autonomous delivery technology can do, and explore its use in a wide range of applications from e-commerce to humanitarian support, we believe it will continue to bring significant benefit to people around the world.”
It boils down to the simple fact that humans are too expensive. They need to eat and breathe and drink clean water. Drones just need to charge. Beyond that there's the case that the deliveries will be faster and more efficient if drones are in the captain's seat!
Apparently, just last month in January, JD.com claimed to have successfully pulled off a government-approved drone delivery in Indonesia, believed to be the first in South East Asia.
According to the source, the test flight took place on January 8 in West Java, Indonesia. They had the drone fly from Jagabita Village, Parung Panjang to MIS Nurul Falah Leles Elementary School to deliver backpacks and books to students. The items delivered by drone were part of a larger donation of supplies from JD.com to the school.
Well I guess that is the silver lining on the cloud right there. At least they can be used to deliver books and supplies to students!
As you can probably tell I'm increasingly worried about the steady rise of AI, robotics and drone technology based on the fact that it replaces human labor, something humans need to survive. I know there are proposals of some sort of universal basic income but I see lots of jobless and homeless people when I walk the streets of major cities in America and abroad. Until that aspect is pushed forward and I mean pushed forward to the point of being a reality on a wide scale, I'm going to continue to be critical and negative when it comes to this new great world of drone deliveries! But that doesn't mean that I expect my readers to feel the same way, in fact I love hearing opposite opinions, maybe you could change my mind?
What are your thoughts on this topic?
Thanks for reading!
Authored by: Techblogger
Source:
JD.com and Rakuten combine forces to become drone powerhouse in Japan
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