Aliaksei Pilko

Using Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, for logistics is an area of interest that can involve payloads containing substances classified by the United Nations as dangerous goods (DGs) when transported by air, particularly for medical use cases. Drones are a relatively new logistics mode, and the associated regulatory environment governing their use is also new and evolving. This research investigated the potential for drone payloads to contain DGs and identified the associated challenges, both legislative and practical, facing the drone logistics sector. This was achieved through a review of DG regulations, an assessment of medical payloads to quantify potential to contain DGs, and practical insight gained from developing a novel medical carrier compatible with regulations governing DG transportation by drone. Results suggest that, from an analysis of over 44,000 safety data sheets, ~10% of medicines were classified as DGs and that stipulated procedures to demonstrate compliance with DG regulations are unlikely to be scalable in accordance with the forecast expansion of the sector due to their challenging and resource intensive requirements.

Integration of Uncrewed Aircraft into unsegregated airspace requires robust and objective risk assessment in order to prevent exposure of existing airspace users to additional risk. A probabilistic Mid-Air Collision risk model is developed based on surveillance traffic data for the intended operational area. Simulated probable traffic scenarios are superimposed on a desired Uncrewed Aircraft operation and then sampled using Monte Carlo methods. The results are used to estimate the operation-specific collision probability with known uncertainty in the output. The methodology is demonstrated for an example medical logistics operation in the United Kingdom, and a Target Level of Safety is used as a benchmark to decide whether the operation should be permitted.

In this paper we propose the use of spatiotemporal population density data in the analysis of ground risk posed by uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) operations. The spatiotemporal population density maps are generated through the combination of authoritative data sources, open source geospatial databases, and past works to dynamically classify proportions of a population to their expected daily activities based upon a given time. This adds a further dimension to analysis allowing evaluation and optimization of ground risk, both spatially and temporally. This approach is used to analyze the ground risk posed under ballistic and gliding descents of a parameterized UAS along a case study path. An open source tool is implemented as part of this work to aid the decision making of operators and promote safer UAS operations.

Healthcare accounts for approximately 5% of emissions in developed nations, and the public healthcare provider in the United Kingdom (UK), the National Health Service (NHS), has set a target to reach net-zero emissions by 2040 without detriment to its quality of patient care. With Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs; a.k.a. drones, UAS, or RPAS) starting to be used in healthcare systems outside the UK, there is interest in how they could be integrated into NHS operations to transport diagnostic specimens. Reflecting on a business-as-usual analysis of current NHS diagnostic specimen logistics across the Solent region (southern UK), this paper critically evaluates the practical reality of integrating UAV deliveries of this commodity, identifying the benefits and challenges that must be addressed to realise commercial services, including dangerous goods legislation, cargo stability, routing, and weather. In the analysis, 14 out of 79 surgeries could be realistically served by a 5m wingspan vertical take-off/landing (VTOL) UAV: seven directly, and seven via ground-based transfers. The results suggested that an average of 1,628 samples could be served by UAV each week, resulting in 42 flights/week with 10 taxi services to cover periods where weather limited flying. This equated to an approximate total service cost of £2,964/week if regulations develop to relax UAV personnel constraints. The introduction of UAVs reduced the marginal external costs (greenhouse gas emissions, congestion, and air pollution) by £196 per week and cut travel times to UAV served sites by 72% (weather permitting). Tailpipe emissions (excl. taxis), vehicle-kilometres travelled, and van costs were reduced by 20%, 20%, and 23% (respectively), but the overall system cost increased by 56%. Whilst this increase is likely to make the introduction of UAV services financially challenging, the benefits in terms of emissions and journey time savings may offset some of the additional cost and warrant further investigation.

The uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV or drone) industry is expanding, offering services such as video/photography, inspection, monitoring, surveying, and logistics. This is leading to competing demands for airspace with existing crewed aircraft activities, especially in uncontrolled airspace. As a result, there is an increasingly urgent need for a shared airspace solution that enables drones to be integrated with the wider aviation community in unsegregated operations. The purpose of this research was to engage with the drone industry to understand their issues regarding shared airspace as an important first step in the co-development of operating procedures that can provide equitable airspace access for all. An online, interactive workshop format was employed, with participants (n ~ 80) drawn from the UK drone industry and other attendant organisations. Verbal and written data were recorded, and then analysed using thematic analysis. The findings summarise the issues on a range of topics, grouped into three over-arching themes: (1) operational environment; (2) technical and regulatory environment; and (3) equity and wider society. Results suggested that important issues included the necessity for a dependable detect-and-avoid (DAA) system for in-flight de-confliction, based on onboard electronic conspicuity (EC) devices, and the need for support for shared airspace from the wider aviation community. This study contributes to the stakeholder engagement that will be essential if the co-development of a shared airspace solution is to be widely acceptable to all.