Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology, UPS’s drone delivery subsidiary UPS Flight Forward and drone technology companies DroneUp and Workhorse Group have performed tests designed to determine how drones can assist the US healthcare system in the fight to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
The tests evaluated the commercial drone industry’s ability to provide and scale small unmanned aerial systems to support various use cases to speed and assist the US healthcare system during the crisis.
“We’ve proven through ongoing commercial drone delivery programmes that effective drone delivery of medical products is faster than conventional ground-based transportation,” said Scott Price, UPS chief strategy and transformation officer.
“Drones offer a low-touch option for delivery of lab specimens and medical products that could make a significant impact in an urgent response application.”
Data collected during the test will be used to determine how private-sector drone operators can effectively supplement emergency response and certain patient care.
The findings and recommendations will be included in a report to the White House, where leaders are considering what role the nascent industry could play in the coronavirus response.
The test participants conducted exercises over three days earlier this month on the vacant campus of St. Paul’s College, in Lawrenceville, Virginia.
According to UPS, the Brunswick County facility, which closed to the public in 2013, provided a safe, complex community environment to test package deliveries by drones under a variety of conditions.
The exercises focused on delivery to residential and commercial areas.
Last year, UPS initiated the first ongoing revenue-generating drone delivery service at WakeMed’s flagship hospital and campus in Raleigh, North Carolina.
In 2017, UPS and Workhorse successfully tested delivery drones launched from the top of a UPS package delivery van.
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