A survey on vehicle-drone cooperative delivery operations optimization: Models, methods, and future research directions

Jing Zhou, Jin Yi, Zhenyu Yang, Huayan Pu, Xinyu Li, Jun Luo, Liang Gao

Abstract: With the rise of technology and market demand, unmanned devices, particularly drones, are increasingly used in logistics due to their speed and cost-efficiency. However, the persistence of limiting factors such as battery life and payload capacity has rendered vehicle-drone cooperative delivery an emerging and promising research area. This paper compiles relevant literature on the cooperative operation of vehicles and drones, summarizing key research directions, which encompass a novel classification framework, commonly utilized mathematical models, and solutions. Additionally, we collected algorithmic test cases employed in current research. Finally, the paper analyzes the current research status and the existing challenges and provides suggestions for future research directions.