By James Pero For Dailymail.com
Published: 22:53 GMT, 26 March 2019 | Updated: 22:53 GMT, 26 March 2019
View
comments
UPS will leverage drones to deliver medical samples in the first FAA-backed and continuous commercial deployment of drone technology in America.
According to UPS, an autonomous drone -- Matternet’s M2 quadcopter -- will travel between locations at WakeMed's campus in Raleigh, North Carolina, flying distances of up to 12.8 miles along a fixed, pre-determined route.
Currently, the samples are delivered on the ground via courier cars, says UPS, making the shipments susceptible to road traffic.
The use of drones will both increase efficiency and lower costs, the company says.
Samples are loaded onto the drone which then flies a predetermined route to a landing pad located within the hospital. A pilot monitors the flight for safety along the way.
While the drone is autonomous, UPS says the flight will still be monitored by a special pilot who will ensure that the vehicle arrives safely at a fixed landing pad.
The new delivery system comes as a part of the the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft System Integration Pilot Program (IPP) which aims to test the application of drones in both the public and private sector throughout the next three years.
Other similar system have been deployed successfully to deliver blood in Rwanda as well as in Switzerland where a Matternet drone has already taken more than 3,000 flights.
While private industry, particularly e-commerce companies like Amazon, have been eager to deploy drone technology for last-mile delivery, rules and regulations have kept the pace of commercial adoption and usage to a minimum.
Drones have been slow to gain regulatory approval as privacy and safety issues are sorted out by the FAA and other state organizations.
