Delivering selected products with aerial drones

A computer program product for optimizing an operation of an aerial drone to transport a product to a customer, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code readable and executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:

• receiving an online order for a product from a customer, wherein the product is initially stored in a warehouse;
• determining whether the customer is authorized to have the product delivered by an aerial drone, wherein the aerial drone has a predetermined travel range, and wherein the aerial drone has an electric motor and an internal combustion engine as power sources for turning propellers on the aerial drone;
• in response to determining that the customer is authorized to have the product delivered by the aerial drone, identifying a weight, size, item type, and value of the product;
• determining whether the aerial drone is physically able to lift and transport the product having the identified weight, size, item type, and value while using the electric motor as the power system for the propellers on the aerial drone;
• retrieving a physical address of the customer;
• calculating a distance from the warehouse to the physical address of the customer;
• comparing a first cost of delivering the product using the aerial drone to a second cost of delivering the product using a ground-based mode of transportation;
• in response to the distance from the warehouse to the physical address of the customer being less than the predetermined travel range of the aerial drone, and in response to the first cost being less than the second cost, and in response to the aerial drone being physically able to lift and transport the product, assigning the aerial drone to deliver the product to the customer;
• coupling, via an electrically actuated retention device, the aerial drone to the product;
• launching, by a drone on-board computer on the aerial drone, the aerial drone with the product coupled to the aerial drone from the warehouse towards the physical address of the customer, wherein the electric motor is engaged to the propellers on the aerial drone;
• wherein the sensor readings detect a change in flight conditions while the aerial drone is flying between the warehouse and the physical address of the customer;
• and
• in response to the sensors on the aerial drone detecting a change in the flight conditions while the aerial drone is flying between the warehouse and the physical address of the customer, disengaging, by the drone on-board computer, the electric motor from the propellers and engaging an internal combustion engine to the propellers.

A computer system comprising:

• a processor, a computer readable memory, and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium;
• first program instructions to receive an online order for a product from a customer, wherein the product is initially stored in a warehouse;
• second program instructions to determine whether the customer is authorized to have the product delivered by an aerial drone, wherein the aerial drone has a predetermined travel range, and wherein the aerial drone has an electric motor and an internal combustion engine as power sources for turning propellers on the aerial drone;
• third program instructions to, in response to determining that the customer is authorized to have the product delivered by the aerial drone, identify a weight, size, item type, and value of the product;
• fourth program instructions to determine whether the aerial drone is physically able to lift and transport the product having the identified weight, size, item type, and value while using the electric motor as the power system for the propellers on the aerial drone;
• fifth program instructions to retrieve a physical address of the customer;
• sixth program instructions to calculate a distance from the warehouse to the physical address of the customer;
• seventh program instructions to compare a first cost of delivering the product using the aerial drone to a second cost of delivering the product using a ground-based mode of transportation;
• eighth program instructions to, in response to the distance from the warehouse to the physical address of the customer being less than the predetermined travel range of the aerial drone, and in response to the first cost being less than the second cost, and in response to the aerial drone being physically able to lift and transport the product, assign the aerial drone to deliver the product to the customer;
• ninth program instructions to couple, via an electrically actuated retention device, the aerial drone to the product;
• tenth program instructions to launch, by a drone on-board computer on the aerial drone, the aerial drone with the product coupled to the aerial drone from the warehouse towards the physical address of the customer, wherein the electric motor is engaged to the propellers on the aerial drone;
• eleventh program instructions to receive sensor readings from sensors on the aerial drone, wherein the sensor readings detect a change in flight conditions while the aerial drone is flying between the warehouse and the physical address of the customer;
• and
• twelfth program instructions to, in response to the sensors on the aerial drone detecting a change in the flight conditions while the aerial drone is flying between the warehouse and the physical address of the customer, disengage the electric motor from the propellers and engaging an internal combustion engine to the propellers;
• and wherein
• the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium for execution by one or more processors via the computer readable memory.