A preliminary path planning algorithm for the last-mile delivery by an unmanned aerial vehicle in urban town areas

The applications by means of drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are increasing in areas from military to industry, commercial, and civil. Examples of applications include surveillance, photography, agriculture, and parcel delivery. Increasing applications results in more people will experience drones in their daily lives. However, not all people are comfortable with the drones around them, this is especially true in terms of urban last mile (LM) drone delivery, people tend to get annoyed when noisy drones pass by their window. This paper presents a novel 3D path planning algorithm that is applicable to the last mile (LM) delivery in an urban environment. The algorithm is called the modified Jump Point Search (MJPS) algorithm. It is developed based on the original Jump Point Search (JPS) and combined with the A* search algorithm. The result of the MJPS algorithm shows an obstacle-free path with reduced residences’ perceived annoyance due to drone operation noise and operational risk. It can be used as a way to increase public acceptance for drone operations in close vicinity of their neighborhood.Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS)Nanyang Technological UniversityThis research is supported by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore under their collaboration with the Air Traffic Management Research Institute. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this manuscript are those of the authors and do not reflect the views of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore