The scope for integrating uncrewed aerial vehicles into healthcare logistics systems – a case study of pathology specimen transport
The scope for integrating uncrewed aerial vehicles into healthcare logistics systems – a case study of pathology specimen transport
Interest in the use of uncrewed aerial vehicles (drones) for logistics purposes (i.e., payload delivery) is increasing. Using a case study approach based on a logistics network within a healthcare setting in the UK, the effects of integrating drones alongside more traditional modes (e.g., vans, bicycle couriers) on the sustainability of multi-modal logistics systems was analyzed by investigating three components: costs; energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions; and payload transit times. Results suggested that drone costs need to be substantially reduced from current values (-82%) before they can start to become a financially viable alternative to traditional modes for healthcare delivery of products in approved packaging, which may be difficult to achieve even in a future where drone operations are increasingly automated. Reductions in energy/emissions (-53%) and transit times (-63%) compared to van-only solutions were possible through the introduction of drones (and bicycle couriers) but these reductions were associated with considerable increases in costs (+88% and +80%, respectively), raising questions regarding the true value of expedited delivery. Drones tended to be most beneficial for serving isolated and/or remote locations, but there are a number of factors that may limit the ability of drones to realize their full potential benefits in practice, such as service reliability, landing site availability, payload constraints, and the regulatory and technological challenges associated with flights beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) of a ground operator and integrated harmoniously in shared airspace alongside existing crewed aircraft.
UAV; drone; logistics; sustainability; multi-modal; healthcare.
Grote, Matt
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Oakey, Andy
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Pilko, Aliaksei
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Krol, Jakub
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Blakesley, Alexander
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Cherrett, Tom
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Scanlan, James
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Anvari, Bani
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Martinez-Sykora, Toni
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January 2025
Grote, Matt
f29566f9-42a7-498a-9671-8661a4287754
Oakey, Andy
dfd6e317-1e6d-429c-a3e0-bc80e92787d1
Pilko, Aliaksei
862c6e08-d848-49f9-ae61-d222751d6422
Krol, Jakub
d034772d-681e-4119-8068-ba6250d56ced
Blakesley, Alexander
e0d82136-9157-4e6d-a134-599449767116
Cherrett, Tom
e5929951-e97c-4720-96a8-3e586f2d5f95
Scanlan, James
7ad738f2-d732-423f-a322-31fa4695529d
Anvari, Bani
f94e2ccb-1d88-4980-8d29-f4281995d072
Martinez-Sykora, Toni
2f9989e1-7860-4163-996c-b1e6f21d5bed
Grote, Matt, Oakey, Andy, Pilko, Aliaksei, Krol, Jakub, Blakesley, Alexander, Cherrett, Tom, Scanlan, James, Anvari, Bani and Martinez-Sykora, Toni
(2025)
The scope for integrating uncrewed aerial vehicles into healthcare logistics systems – a case study of pathology specimen transport.
Transportation Research Board (TRB) 104th Annual Meeting (TRB 2025), , Washington D.C., United States.
05 - 09 Jan 2025.
20 pp
.
Record type:
Conference or Workshop Item
(Paper)
Abstract
Interest in the use of uncrewed aerial vehicles (drones) for logistics purposes (i.e., payload delivery) is increasing. Using a case study approach based on a logistics network within a healthcare setting in the UK, the effects of integrating drones alongside more traditional modes (e.g., vans, bicycle couriers) on the sustainability of multi-modal logistics systems was analyzed by investigating three components: costs; energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions; and payload transit times. Results suggested that drone costs need to be substantially reduced from current values (-82%) before they can start to become a financially viable alternative to traditional modes for healthcare delivery of products in approved packaging, which may be difficult to achieve even in a future where drone operations are increasingly automated. Reductions in energy/emissions (-53%) and transit times (-63%) compared to van-only solutions were possible through the introduction of drones (and bicycle couriers) but these reductions were associated with considerable increases in costs (+88% and +80%, respectively), raising questions regarding the true value of expedited delivery. Drones tended to be most beneficial for serving isolated and/or remote locations, but there are a number of factors that may limit the ability of drones to realize their full potential benefits in practice, such as service reliability, landing site availability, payload constraints, and the regulatory and technological challenges associated with flights beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) of a ground operator and integrated harmoniously in shared airspace alongside existing crewed aircraft.
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Published date: January 2025
Venue - Dates:
Transportation Research Board (TRB) 104th Annual Meeting (TRB 2025), , Washington D.C., United States, 2025-01-05 - 2025-01-09
Keywords:
UAV; drone; logistics; sustainability; multi-modal; healthcare.
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 495771
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/495771
PURE UUID: 444749b7-691d-4577-9dd3-4c6f0b38d54f
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Date deposited: 22 Nov 2024 17:32
Last modified: 30 Nov 2024 03:08
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Contributors
Author:
Andy Oakey
Author:
Aliaksei Pilko
Author:
Jakub Krol
Author:
Alexander Blakesley
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