Medical Delivery Drones

United Parcel Service (UPS) recently received certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to deliver health care supplies – including blood and tissue samples – on medical campuses across the U.S.

The decision was passed down following a one-year trial period at Wake University Medical Campus in Raleigh, North Carolina, during which approximately 1,000 single-operator flights were conducted. The new drone airline, dubbed UPS Flight Forward, will be limited to operating on medical campuses for at least two years. The company hopes to expand to homes, particularly in rural areas, in the future.

While at least six other companies have submitted requests to the FAA for commercial drone operations, Wing (the drone-delivery unit of Google’s Alphabet) is the only other company currently authorized to fly the unmanned delivery vehicles in the U.S. Its certification differs from that awarded to UPS in that Wing is authorized to operate only one pilot and one drone at a time. The UPS certification allows the company to operate multiple pilots and drones simultaneously.

Outside the United States, other companies are using drones to deliver medical supplies, including Zipline, which distributes blood in Rwanda, and Swoop Aero which delivers vaccines and other supplies in the Pacific region.