7 questions before you integrate drones into your business

Drones, once confined to military applications, have now permeated various industries, offering groundbreaking solutions and transforming traditional practices some of which we are working on at JetSoftPro, a software service with more than 20 years of experience.

Commercial drone usage witnessed a surge in the early 2000s, propelled by technological advancements and cost reductions. Today, drones are indispensable across diverse sectors, from agriculture to construction, offering unparalleled versatility and functionality.

Read: Top-10 ways to use drones and what software do they need

Drones vary based on wing types, size, payload capacity, power sources, and functionalities. Understanding these classifications can guide you in making informed decisions aligned with your business objectives.

When planning to integrate drones into your business or develop a new drone, you need to answer several key questions that will determine the technologies you will work with:

1. How far should my drone fly?
2. How often will I charge it?
3. What should be the flight cost?
4. How much weight can it carry?
5. Under what conditions will it fly?
6. What technical capabilities should my drone have?
7. What size should the drone be?

Here is an example of the all-in-one UAVs management platform consisting of software (web platform) and hardware (device for tracking drones’ location) created by JetSoftPro.

I decided to integrate drones into my business. How it works?

For example, you own a pizzeria and want to deliver pizza around your area using drones.

Here are the initial parameters of your business process:

The pizza box measures from 12 to 16 inches on any side (square) and weighs up to 2 kg. The box should not tip over. The pizza must be delivered within a distance of up to 12 miles in a maximum of 20 minutes. The drone delivery will deliver 20 pizzas a day and land on the customer’s porch. It is reasonable for it to spend no more than $10 on delivery. At the same time, we expect to receive +500% of pizza orders thanks to drone delivery advertising.

So, based on this data, we need a drone no larger than the pizza box with vertical takeoff and landing, high precision, capable of flying 12 miles to the customer + 12 miles back multiplied by 20 times = 480 miles per day with one charge or refueling at night. It should lift up to 10 kg (usually no more than 5 pizzas are ordered). It should be stable (without sudden movements) and controlled by a program, not a person. Additionally, it should have a mechanism for detaching the pizza box and photo fixation to successfully integrate drones into your business process.

Based on these parameters, you choose from existing technologies and after calculations understand that one flight costs $30, not $10 as planned, and worse, not $15 like a courier. On the other hand, you expect to attract five times more orders, which will allow you to save on ingredient purchases and offset the increased delivery cost without raising the price of pizza.

Discovery before you integrate drones into your business

Before implementing innovations in business, it makes sense to go through a discovery stage to obtain detailed calculations and an understanding of the effectiveness of the changes. For example, it’s worthwhile to create a virtual prototype first and then, if everything goes well, a real drone prototype with the necessary characteristics and test it in field conditions.

Read more in the article by JetSoftPro:
https://jetsoftpro.com/services/rnd-and-innovation/