Vertical Drone Delivery with Obstacle Avoidance

This paper introduces a hybrid drone-truck delivery model to optimize UAV-based logistics in last-mile delivery settings. The study combines energy consumption dynamics with advanced route optimization, considering factors such as payload weight, elevation changes, and obstacle avoidance. Utilizing the Theta ⁎ algorithm, the model achieves efficient path-finding while optimizing energy use through a scheme that applies energy over-consumption or under-consumption for ascent and descent, respectively. Additionally, the study incorporates profit modeling for successful deliveries to assess energy-revenue trade-offs. Results confirm the model’s ability to improve the operational efficiency of last-mile delivery systems, thus advancing sustainable urban logistics and addressing limitations in current drone delivery systems.