Are we that much closer to widespread drone use within the delivery and logistic sectors? Beth Flippo argued at the Qatar Economic Forum that this technology will not only grant convenience but also complement the international marketplace.

At the fourth edition of the Qatar Economic Forum, Beth Flippo, the CEO of Drone Express, outlined the benefits of wider use of drone technology during the Drone Society: The Robots at Your Door one-on-one discussion.

“Drones are safer, they are faster and they provide an eco-friendly delivery solution. What that means is it’s going to give local commerce a real opportunity to fight back against online shopping,” she said, adding that a localised delivery system will be cost-effective for consumers.

Beyond the retail space, she also said that drone technology can take flight within the construction and medical sectors, in addition to “every aspect of our lives in a way that takes the strain off our environment… [This] will really be an improvement across the board,” she said.

Flippo referred to this as the “autonomy economy” where consumers receive unlimited delivery, where delivery costs are fixed and goods can be accessed at any time of day at the same delivery time rate as seen with conventional methods.