Simulated Urban Environment for Last Mile Drone Logistics ("SimLogAI")

Last-mile deliveries play a crucial role for high-value manufacturing (HVM) in complex supply chains. Significant proportions of components are critical yet relatively lightweight (e.g.<10kg electronic components).

Drones will take a disruptive role in the near term as regulation has made a large step forward permitting beyond-line-of-sight(BLOS) flights under specific requirements, in a robust / controlled air and ground risk-mitigating environment. Using recent advances in IoT connectivity (5G/wifi) to control and optimize drone flight paths, coupled with data-driven AI simulation environment tools, it shall be possible to integrate a range of technologies to create autonomous new business models, which can be commercialized for the benefit of a number of sectors whereby time is of the essence. Logistics is seen as the largest and most promising subsegment in drone applications.

This study seeks to optimize the interplay between artificial intelligence and drone-supported last-mile delivery to improve supply chain efficiencies and create new, systematic, automated, airborne delivery systems. Through AI systems integrations, SimLogAI will be able to support manufacturing supply chains' on-time delivery while mitigating any posed risks of delays or financial penalties.

Existing data suggests that although the frequency of such events vary, a single occurrence could have a devastating effect on production.

Many manufacturers are located in urban fringe sites because of expansive land requirements. Traditionally, logistics are confined to fossil fuel-powered land-based solutions, affected by increasingly congested road networks, and causing tailpipe emissions. Our advanced and sustainable AI drone solution will support longer flight paths with increasingly heavier payloads.

Coordinated AI-type inventories with supply chains across multiple locations using swarms of drones, innovative control and tracking systems and autonomous flight path optimization have the potential to revolutionize supply chains of HVM through digital technologies.

The project will address end-to-end challenges & opportunities for logistics supply chain stakeholders, providing enhancement to productivity, exploring the robustness & resilience of AI integrating drones in HVM supply chains. It will consider landing & delivery hubs as well as autonomous on-the-ground handling and transport systems (AGV/AutonomousGroundVehicle), low-carbon emissions delivery enhancements, simulation data validated path/ routing efficiency (air/ground) and regulation-compliant aerial safety assurance.

This project seeks to validate, investigate and test the fragmented approaches to this subject, unifying digital technologies, connectivity and policy areas to develop nationally relevant and scalable business models to transform logistics, creating an actionable roadmap to combine these elements together whilst also ensuring confidence, trustworthiness & reliability remains at its core.