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As drone technology and regulatory processes progress, an exciting new avenue for drone applications has begun to emerge. Drones have proven to be excellent for the transportation of small packages. Companies like Zipline have revolutionized how drones can be used to transport lightweight packages, such as medical supplies. Other companies, like Amazon, are working towards the final steps in making rapid last-mile deliveries of small packages directly to consumers’ homes with drones. Now, companies are looking at ways to expand these possibilities by employing drones to deliver larger packages as middle-mile delivery options.

Middle-mile delivery refers to the transportation of cargo that has already left manufacturers and is delivered to a seller, such as a store. From a manufacturer to a warehouse, large shipping methods like ships, trains, or trucks are needed. However, from a warehouse to a store, logistics experts are finding that larger, heavy-lift drones could reduce delivery times, greenhouse gas emissions, and total delivery costs. One of the challenges is designing drones robust enough to make this process feasible. The robustness of these drones depends not only on their ability to lift heavy cargo or navigate smoothly, but also on their ability to be flown with fewer repeat inspections than standard drones, so they can be used more frequently.

A team of researchers from Southampton University has developed a system that can be applied to drones to minimize the inspection process, freeing up the devices to make deliveries that meet customer demands. The project was led by Dr. Martynas Beresna of the Optoelectronics Research Center and Dr. Chris Holmes from the School of Engineering. Eighteen startups have spun out of the Optoelectronics Research Center, one of which, Future Worlds, fully funded the research of Drs. Beresna and Holmes.

Their research focuses on how optical fibers can be used to enhance drones with what is essentially a central nervous system. For living beings like humans, the central nervous system, consisting of the brain and spinal cord, processes and transmits all the functions of the body. If something is wrong, the central nervous system alerts the brain, allowing us to react appropriately — such as quickly recoiling your hand when touching something hot. If there is something seriously wrong, even humans need to go to a doctor for an inspection. For a drone, a central nervous system would monitor and transmit the health of the drone’s structure to operators. “It sends back real-time information using light – rather than electricity – which avoids problems that electronic systems have with interference from radio frequencies,” explained Dr. Holmes.

With optical fibers, Dr. Holmes explained that these communication interruptions would be nonexistent. Using a process called optical speckle, the drone’s central nervous system picks up any irregularities and alerts the operator for an inspection. There is no need for electrical systems to relay such information. Since the drone has an onboard central nervous system, it can complete as many deliveries as possible without needing regularly scheduled inspections.

If a ground crew needs to manually inspect a drone before each delivery, the system would simply not work. It would cost too much time and money to use drones for large-scale cargo deliveries. “This system not only reduces the burden on ground crews but also ensures that drones can operate more safely and efficiently,” said Dr. Beresna. There are still issues to be resolved, mainly the weight of the optical fiber system, but the team foresees a lot of commercial potential behind a drone with a central nervous system. Dr. Holmes added that with the help of Future Worlds’ industry connections, they hope to make the fiber optic central nervous system available for drones commercially within a year.

The integration of advanced systems like optical fibers for real-time monitoring presents a promising future for more efficient and sustainable delivery networks. By reducing the need for frequent inspections and enhancing the reliability of middle-mile deliveries, these innovations could transform logistics on a global scale. With continued research and collaboration between industry leaders and academic institutions, drones may soon become a cornerstone of the transportation infrastructure, offering a faster, greener, and more cost-effective solution for moving goods across vast distances.

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