Drone News

New Drone Delivery Algorithm by IISc Ensures Faster Logistics with Golden Ratio Precision

Posted by

Pradipta V Mukherjee

August 1, 2025

On August 1, 2025

Drone-based deliveries are quickly gaining traction as the skies become more and more congested with silent, electric couriers. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are already being used by companies like Amazon Prime Air and DHL Parcel-copter to deliver packages straight to customers, reducing carbon emissions and urban traffic. Despite the potential, major drawbacks like short battery life and small payload capacity still make it difficult for drone deliveries to become widely used.

Researchers from the University of Birmingham and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, have made a significant breakthrough by creating a novel algorithm that greatly increases the effectiveness of parcel assignments to drones. The Drone Warehouse Problem (DWP), a challenging, NP-hard scheduling problem that makes optimal parcel-drone allocation very challenging at scale, is addressed by this innovation.

Instead of aiming for an ideal but computationally costly solution, the team developed a fast approximation algorithm that guarantees all packages are delivered as quickly as possible. It is noteworthy that the algorithm’s performance can be mathematically represented by the golden ratio (ϕ ≈ 1.62), a figure that is linked to inherent elegance and efficiency.

The Longest Processing Time First (LPT) scheduling heuristic is the foundation of their methodology. The algorithm allocates each package to the drone that becomes available the earliest by classifying drones by battery capacity and packages by distance. Drone-specific limitations like battery life and operating speed are taken into consideration in this model.

The team used a computational geometry technique called dynamic maintenance of lower envelope lines to scale the solution for large real-world applications. This technique improves algorithm speed without compromising accuracy.

This new algorithm provides a reliable and scalable substitute for many current approaches that find it difficult to strike a balance between drone-specific restrictions and delivery schedules. It greatly surpasses traditional approaches and offers robust theoretical performance guarantees, particularly in high-volume, time-sensitive scenarios.

Despite the complexity of the data structures involved, researchers agree that the algorithm lays a strong basis for further advancement. Additionally, the study paves the way for future speed and approximation accuracy optimization.

Such high-performance algorithms are anticipated to be essential in enabling sustainable, real-time, last-mile delivery to become a scalable reality as drone logistics develops and grows, revolutionizing the way goods are transported from warehouses to front doors.

Pradipta V Mukherjee

CEO, Mavdrones

Pradipta V Mukherjee is the visionary CEO of Mavdrones & Drone Pathshala, driving innovation and growth in the drone industry. With a passion for advanced technology, he leads the company's strategic direction, ensuring Mavdrones stays at the forefront of drone solutions. Under his leadership, Mavdrones has achieved remarkable success, including winning the 'Best Innovation and Technology in Drone Industry' award from ASSOCHAM. Pradipta is committed to revolutionizing the industry through advanced UAV technology, fostering a culture of excellence and forward-thinking within the organization.