Regulations, acceptance limit usage of drones within supply chains

Dive Brief:

• Drone delivery is much anticipated, but not yet deployed, thanks to technical challenges like battery life and the FAA regulation that they may only be flown within the operator's line of sight, according to Wired.
• However, other uses have already been found, wherein drones act as item pickers, locating  particular items within warehouses, potentially speeding the shipping process.
• In some instances the robotics can be assigned new duties after watching an instructional video, thereby increasing the potential for cost reduction.

Dive Insight:

The U.S. is well behind New Zealand in drone utilization, where pizza delivery by drone began in August. Low population density locales make better sense for usage than tightly packed American cities. The highest potential for use in the U.S. is in tackling the logistics of last mile deliveries.

For the moment, drones remain controversial and underutilized. Until regulations and acceptance are agreed upon, they're likely to remain mostly indoors, managing and automating warehouse inventory.