CoFFEE

The 20th century saw two innovations diffused so rapidly and with such force they they desiminated two industries everyone thought unshakable. Now, in the 21st century we may be about to see this shift again.

On 18th October 2023, BBC News reported on Amazon’s pledge to deliver parcels in under one hour using drones by the end of 2024. Just a week earlier, Guagzhou-based Ehang (China) received its airworthiness certificate for its fully autonomous air-taxi.

While the business case for drone delivery is still under development – something we will be discussing in our upcoming webinar – the fact that the technology is mature enough for drones to be on the cusp of rolling out means and regulation with CAA is nearing completion means the major hurdles for Future Flight are nearing completion.

This concept is critical because once a technology is suitably mature, legislation is no longer an obstacle, an innovation can tear through society. For example, whaling was the largest industry on earth, yet in a decade the Herschel whaling fleet went from supporting a town of 1,000 people to supporting just three ships. Alternative fuels destroyed the safet industry on earth. Likewise, humans 5500 years of horse domestication couldn’t survive 30 years of the combustion engine’s diffusion throughout western society.

However, innovation diffusion relies upon social acceptance. Technology and advantage are, simply, insufficient to drive change. We need to iunderstand the social impact and involve those most affected by the coming change.

On the CoFFEE project, we’re excited about our revealing insights into business models, co-creation methods, and future scenarios. Over the next six months we look forward to applying all of our novel findings into niche scenarios to establish the guiding principles of sustainable and responsible future flight diffusion within the UK. The future is coming faster than anyone thought possible.