Autonomous Delivery Solutions for Last-Mile Logistics Operations: A Literature Review and Research Agenda

Abstract

The implementation of autonomous delivery solutions in last-mile logistics operations is considered promising. Autonomous delivery solutions can help in tackling urban challenges related to last-mile logistics operations. Urbanization creates higher mobility and transportation demand, which contributes to increased congestion levels, traffic, air pollution, and accident rates. Moreover, mega-trends, such as e-commerce, demand that logistics companies react to increased customer expectations in terms of delivery time and service. Concerning service, electrified autonomous delivery solutions have the potential to operate 24/7 and can help to overcome driver shortages. This paper conducts a systematic literature review. Based on the literature set, a snowballing procedure was applied. Complementary gray literature was included. This work discusses different autonomous delivery solutions such as Autonomous Delivery Robots (ADRs), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), two- or multi-tiered systems, and the concept of passenger and freight integration. The work presents advantages and disadvantages, enabling the comparison of solutions. Furthermore, a research agenda is provided, from which practical-managerial and theoretical implications can be derived. The research agenda can help researchers, manufacturers, businesses, and governmental institutions to prepare for the arrival and subsequent implementation of autonomous delivery services. Various implications related to energy demand, legislation, implementation strategy, training, and risk and safety are presented. The outcome of this work calls for collaboration among various stakeholders, encourages mutual learning, and hints at the importance of national and international development projects.

The Impact of E-commerce Last-mile Delivery on Environmental Sustainability

“…And the psychological reaction of consumer satisfaction is produced by their perception, and expectation of service [8]. In e-commerce, logistics companies are required in recent years to respond to rising customer expectations regarding delivery time and service [9]. And that lastmile delivery had become the primary customer expectation in the food and grocery sector.…”

Sustainable Solutions in E-Commerce: An Examination of Customer Acceptance of Automated Delivery Stations in Vietnam

“…On the other hand, consumers' intention to use an automated delivery system is defined as their willingness or desire of the consumer to use an automated system of parcel delivery. ADS relies less on manual procedures and more on self-service, as well as selfsupport for delivery methods, differing from traditional home delivery techniques [4,16]. ADS is therefore considered a sustainable logistics solution for urban areas [17,18].…”

Maximizing the Average Environmental Benefit of a Fleet of Drones under a Periodic Schedule of Tasks

“…In recent years, due to rising carbon dioxide emissions and fuel costs, the issue of sustainable daily scheduling of transport operations aimed at reducing environmental pollution, has attracted increasing interest and concern from large logistics companies. In such a situation, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, drones) are not just a technological advancement based on modern ideas of artificial intelligence, but actually provide a sustainable solution to green technologies in logistics, transport and material handling In this light, the ability of UAVs to carry out sustainable autonomous deliveries efficiently and effectively has been researched and explored by large logistics companies (e.g., DHL Express, UPS), e-commerce retailers and companies (e.g., Walmart, Google) [1,2].…”

“…In this regard, a practical alternative would be either to obtain efficient exact algorithms for practically important special cases of the problem, or to develop fast and sufficiently effective approximation algorithms. Increased theoretical and practical interest in this problem and its applications has been noted, for example, in a number of excellent reviews [1,2,[5][6][7]. In addition to the results presented in these surveys and the works cited therein, the main contribution of this work is as follows: we present and explore the problem of finding the optimal number of vehicles that maximizes the average UAV fleet profit per vehicle and thereby the fleet efficiency.…”

“…A broader and more detailed categorization of the relevant environmental benefits of UAVs is beyond the scope of this article. The interested reader is referred to the available comprehensive surveys and studies in this area cited therein [1,2,[5][6][7].…”