Feasibility of Warehouse Drone Adoption and Implementation

While aerial delivery drones capture headlines, the pace of adoption of drones in warehouses has shown the greatest acceleration. Warehousing constitutes 30% of the cost of logistics in the US. The rise of e-commerce, greater customer service demands of retail stores, and a shortage of skilled labor have intensified competition for efficient warehouse operations. This takes place during an era of shortening technology life cycles. This paper integrates several theoretical perspectives on technology diffusion and adoption to propose a framework to inform supply chain decision-makers on when to invest in new robotics technology

Dystopian Realities : Investigating the Perception of and Interaction with Surveillance Practices

This article seeks to sketch out how the field of surveillance studies has conceptualized surveillance practices, and how cultural and technological shifts have prompted scholars to re-imagine these theoretical frameworks. The article investigates the interplay of (dystopian) popular cultural representations of surveillance cultures and the perception of and attitude towards contemporary surveillance practices, as well as how individuals react to and interact with them. The article also outlines a study regarding the aforementioned issues that was conducted among a sample of 150 university students, which focused especially on each participant’s subjective ability to distinguish between fictional scenarios and real-life surveillance practices

Societal Acceptance of Urban Drones: A Scoping Literature Review

The use of drones (or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) in urban areas has emerged rapidly in the last decade, and continues to expand at an accelerating pace. Alongside the emergent uses of high-impact technology in both public and private sectors, political debates about the potential risks and challenges have arisen, encompassing diverse perspectives and attitudes about the ethical, legal, social, and regulatory implications of introducing and integrating new technology in society. This scoping review offers an assessment of the societal acceptance factors of urban drones discussed in the current academic literature. We used a hybrid approach including quantitative landscape mapping and qualitative content analysis of the selected articles to inductively develop a typology of acceptance factors associated with urban use of drones. This review illuminates areas that have been the focus of attention within the current body of knowledge (e.g., visual and noise pollution of drones), sketches the evolution of the relevant discussions over time (e.g., a focus on the safety of the drone technology toward safety of the cargo it carries and security of the data it collects), and points to areas that have received less considerations (e.g., media appropriation and social group influence). It can, thus, help situate the topic of societal acceptance of urban drones in specific contexts, and orient future research on promoting value sensitive innovation in society more broadly

The Balance Between Privacy and Safety in Police UAV Use: The Power of Threat and Its Effect on People’s Receptivity

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, are an innovative technology that has received significant interest from the law enforcement community. The size and ability, technological capability, and cost effectiveness of UAVs make them an attractive tool for law enforcement agencies to utilize in the course of operations, including domestic surveillance. Despite the potential benefits to the society, public perception of police UAV use is mixed, and “Not Over My Backyard (NOMBY)” attitudes relevant to Fourth Amendment privacy concerns are consistently demonstrated across studies related to public perceptions on this emerging technology. The present study focuses on the relative impact of privacy threats and other situational factors on individuals’ perceptions of police and their use of UAV technology. Using Stephan and Renfro’s revised reintegrated threat theory (2002), the present research used a scenario- based experimental design to examine: (1) the impact perceived threat from police UAV use on people’s attitudes toward police and their use of UAVs? (2) the attitudinal differences of the degree of participants’ connection to the target of surveillance, and (3) the effect of the people’s pre-existing perceptions of police on participants’ attitudinal differences, and (4) the structural relationships, followed by the theory, between perceived threats, antecedents (i.e., relations between groups, individual difference variables, cultural dimensions, situational factors) to intergroup threat, and the people’s perceptions, as well as demographic or other socio-economic factors. The findings provide some significant socio-psychological implications concerning police-community intergroup relations. First, the quality of the interpersonal treatment or relations (i.e., individual differences) they had previously received from police officers was the strongest indicator in predicting their attitudes toward police UAV use. Second, the outcome of UAV activity also influenced their evaluations of police. Lastly, people’s attitudes were more extreme when the level of connection to the target of surveillance was farther away from them and it was interacted with policing strategies (i.e., reactive v proactive policing)

Exploring the Effects of Experience on Drone Piloting

abstract: The current study aims to explore factors affecting trust in human-drone collaboration. A current gap exists in research surrounding civilian drone use and the role of trust in human-drone interaction and collaboration. Specifically, existing research lacks an explanation of the relationship between drone pilot experience, trust, and trust-related behaviors as well as other factors. Using two dimensions of trust in human-automation team—purpose and performance—the effects of experience on drone design and trust is studied to explore factors that may contribute to such a model. An online survey was conducted to examine civilian drone operators’ experience, familiarity, expertise, and trust in commercially available drones. It was predicted that factors of prior experience (familiarity, self-reported expertise) would have a significant effect on trust in drones. The choice to use or exclude the drone propellers in a search-and-identify scenario, paired with the pilots’ experience with drones, would further confirm the relevance of the trust dimensions of purpose versus performance in the human-drone relationship. If the pilot has a positive sense of purpose and benevolence with the drone, the pilot trusts the drone has a positive intent towards them and the task. If the pilot has trust in the performance of the drone, they ascertain that the drone has the skill to do the task. The researcher found no significant differences between mean trust scores across levels of familiarity, but did find some interaction between self-report expertise, familiarity, and trust. Future research should further explore more concrete measures of situational participant factors such as self-confidence and expertise to understand their role in civilian pilots’ trust in their drone.Dissertation/ThesisMasters Thesis Human Systems Engineering 201

Use of delivery drones for humanitarian operations: analysis of adoption barriers among logistics service providers from the technology acceptance model perspective

Delivery drones are yet to be adopted as a systematic delivery system for humanitarian operations but have the potential to substantially increase the efficiency and effectiveness of future delivery options. Thus, we analyse the impact of factors affecting the adoption of delivery drones by logistics service providers for humanitarian operations. A conceptual model of potential barriers to adoption and development is created using the Technology Acceptance Model theory involving security, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and attitude as factors that affect the intention to use. We validate the model using empirical data collected from 103 respondents by the 10 leading logistics firms located in China between May and August 2016. through a survey to examine factors currently affecting the intention/non-intention to adopt delivery drones. The results show that ease of use and addressing key security considerations about the drone, the delivery package and the recipient are crucial for adopting the technology as a specialized delivery option for logistics service providers. This is the first study of its kind and contributes to understanding the operational, supply chain and behavioural factors in the adoption of drones by logistics services providers for humanitarian operations

PREDICTING THE ADOPTION OF CONNECTED AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES BY TRANSPORTATION ORGANIZATIONS USING PEER EFFECTS

PREDICTING THE ADOPTION OF CONNECTED AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES BY TRANSPORTATION ORGANIZATIONS USING PEER EFFECT

Moving beyond privacy and airspace safety: Guidelines for just drones in policing

The use of drones offers police forces potential gains in efficiency and safety. However, their use may also harm public perception of the police if drones are refused. Therefore, police forces should consider the perception of bystanders and broader society to maximize drones' potential. This article examines the concerns expressed by members of the public during a field trial involving 52 test participants. Analysis of the group interviews suggests that their worries go beyond airspace safety and privacy, broadly dis-cussed in existing literature and regulations. The interpretation of the results indicates that the perceived justice of drone use is a significant factor in acceptance. Leveraging the concept of organizational justice and data collected, we propose a catalogue of guidelines for just operation of drones to supplement the existing policy. We present the organizational justice perspective as a framework to integrate the concerns of the public and bystanders into legal work. Finally, we discuss the relevance of justice for the legitimacy of the police's actions and provide implications for research and practice

The operation of eVTOLs in the urban air mobility sector : use case & operator assessment

Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) technology enables a sustainable form of aviation for currently unserved connections. eVTOLs can reduce the carbon emissions of the aviation industry by replacing conventional helicopters and smaller aircrafts. In addition, traffic congestion in large cities can be decreased and travel times shortened. This thesis examines which use case is offered to the passengers. In addition, the prospective urban air mobility (UAM) market player that is expected to become a potential operator in the short term is summarized, alongside the value proposition (VP), key resources (KR), key activities (KA), and key partnerships (KP) of an eVTOL operator. The findings have been obtained through a qualitative research approach questioning 16 UAM experts, commercial as well as private aviation companies. The results reveal that eVTOL manufacturers are going to be the first market players to operate eVTOLs in the short to medium term. Commercial airlines are expected to step into the market in the long term. Interviews have additionally shown that airport shuttles will be the first served use case. The primary value proposition is saving time for the passengers. The primary key resource is human staff. The primary key activity is eVTOL maintenance. The primary key partnership is with the infrastructure provider and/or operator. Furthermore, this research adds value to the existing UAM literature on eVTOL operators, first commercially offered use cases as well as elements of an operator’s business model.A tecnologia de decolagem e aterrissagem vertical elétrica (eVTOL) permite uma forma sustentável de aviação para conexões atualmente não atendidas. Os eVTOLs podem reduzir as emissões de carbono da indústria da aviação substituindo helicópteros convencionais e aeronaves menores. Além disso, o congestionamento do tráfego nas grandes cidades pode ser reduzido e os tempos de viagem reduzidos. Esta tese examina qual caso de uso é oferecido aos passageiros. Além disso, o potencial participante do mercado de mobilidade aérea urbana (UAM) que deve se tornar um operador potencial no curto prazo é resumido, juntamente com a proposta de valor (VP), recursos-chave (KR), atividades-chave (KA) e parcerias (KP) de um operador eVTOL. Os resultados foram obtidos por meio de uma abordagem de pesquisa qualitativa questionando 16 especialistas, empresas de aviação comercial e privada. Os resultados revelam que os fabricantes de eVTOL serão os primeiros players do mercado a operar eVTOLs no curto e médio prazo. Espera-se que as companhias aéreas comerciais entrem no mercado a longo prazo. As entrevistas também mostraram que os ônibus do aeroporto serão o primeiro caso de uso servido. A principal proposta de valor é economizar tempo para os passageiros. O recurso-chave primário é a equipe humana. A atividade de chave primária é a manutenção do eVTOL. A parceria de chave primária é com o provedor e/ou operador de infraestrutura. Além disso, esta pesquisa agrega valor à literatura UAM existente sobre operadoras eVTOL, primeiros casos de uso oferecidos comercialmente, bem como elementos do modelo de negócios de uma operadora

Evaluating the intention to use Industry 5.0 (I5.0) drones for cleaner production in Sustainable Food Supply Chains:an emerging economy context

YesPurpose – The purpose of this study is to evaluate food supply chain stakeholders’ intention to use Industry 5.0 (I5.0) drones for cleaner production in food supply chains. Design/methodology/approach – We used a quantitative research design and collected data using an online survey administered to a sample of 264 food supply chain stakeholders in Nigeria. The partial least square structural equation model (PLS-SEM) was conducted to assess the research’s hypothesised relationships. Findings – We provide empirical evidence to support the contributions of I5.0 drones for cleaner production. Our findings showed that food supply chain stakeholders are more concerned with the use of I5.0 drones in specific operations such as reducing plant diseases which invariably enhances cleaner production. However, there is less inclination to drones adoption if the aim was pollution reduction, predicting seasonal output and addressing workers health and safety challenges. Our findings outline the need for awareness to promote the use of drones for addressing workers hazard challenges and knowledge transfer on the potentials of I5.0 in emerging economies. Originality – This is the first study to address I5.0 drones' adoption using a sustainability model. We contribute to existing literature by extending the sustainability model to identify the contributions of drones use in promoting cleaner production through addressing specific system operations. This study addresses the gap by augmenting a sustainability model, suggesting that technology adoption for sustainability is motivated by curbing challenges categorised as drivers and mediators