UPS Announces That the First US Commercial Drone Delivery Service Is Operating

Strategically clever to use medical samples as a first, focused source of the service, so as to emphasize the public benefits.

What will happen when demand arises for mocha skim lattes or pepperoni pizzas has yet to be determined. JL


MIT Technology Review reports:

Currently, the majority of medical samples and specimens are transported by courier cars. The addition of drone transport provides an option for on-demand and same-day delivery, the ability to avoid roadway delays, increase medical delivery efficiency, lower costs and improve the patient experience.  medical professional will load a secure drone container with a medical sample or specimen – such as a blood sample. The drone will fly along a predetermined flight path, monitored by a trained Remote Pilot-in-Command (RPIC), to a fixed landing pad at WakeMed’s main hospital and central pathology lab.
UPS announced a groundbreaking new logistics service to deliver medical samples via unmanned drones through a collaboration with Matternet, a leader in autonomous drone technology. The program is taking place at WakeMed’s flagship hospital and campus in the Raleigh, N.C., metropolitan area, with oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration and North Carolina Department of Transportation. Today’s flight marks the beginning of numerous planned daily revenue flights at the WakeMed Raleigh campus.
The UPS and Matternet program represents a major milestone for unmanned aviation in the
United States. Currently, the majority of medical samples and specimens are transported
across WakeMed’s expanding health system by courier cars. The addition of drone transport
provides an option for on-demand and same-day delivery, the ability to avoid roadway delays,
increase medical delivery efficiency, lower costs and improve the patient experience with
potentially life-saving benefits.
NCDOT, which is working to leverage drones to expand healthcare access for the residents of
North Carolina, supported Matternet in conducting first-round test flights using Matternet’s
drone technology on WakeMed’s campus in August 2018 as part of the FAA’s Unmanned
Aircraft System Integration Pilot Program (IPP). The three-year FAA program aims to test
practical applications of drones by partnering local governments with private sector companies
to learn more about how this emerging technology can be safely and usefully integrated into
day-to-day activities. The five IPP partners involved are the FAA, NCDOT, UPS, Matternet, and WakeMed.
The program will utilize Matternet’s M2 quadcopter, which is powered by a rechargeable
lithium-ion battery, and can carry medical payloads weighing up to about 5 lbs. over distances
of up to 12.5 miles.
Throughout the WakeMed program, a medical professional will load a secure drone container
with a medical sample or specimen – such as a blood sample – at one of WakeMed’s nearby
facilities. The drone will fly along a predetermined flight path, monitored by a specially trained
Remote Pilot-in-Command (RPIC), to a fixed landing pad at WakeMed’s main hospital and
central pathology lab. This will be an ongoing program at WakeMed, and UPS and Matternet
will use the learnings to consider how drones can be applied to improve transport services at
other hospitals and medical facilities across the U.S.