Optimization of a modular drone delivery system

Abstract

Drones have recently become a promising solution for rapid parcel delivery due to advances in battery technology and navigation systems. Drones have inherited limitations in battery capacity and payload, which make their efficient operation and management a critical problem for a successful delivery system. Adopting modularity in the drone design can provide operational benefits to increase overall fleet readiness and reduce overall fleet size. This paper discusses the potential value of introducing modular design to a drone delivery system. We propose an optimization method for the operation management of a fleet of modular delivery drones. This paper presents simulation results that compare the proposed method with existing operation management methods. The results show that a simple operation management strategy can make a drone delivery system unstable with increasing demand on certain types of modules in the fleet. The results comparing modular and non-modular drone operation also prove that the proposed operation management method with modular drones can save delivery time and energy consumption during a delivery operation over non-modular drones.