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Matternet’s M2 Drone System Enabling New U.S. Hospital Delivery Network at Wake Forest Baptist Health

Matternet and UPS have expanded their ground-breaking hospital delivery network, adding North Carolina’s Wake Forest Baptist Health medical campus to their operations.

Matternet’s M2 drone system is enabling the new hospital delivery network, in collaboration with UPS Flight Forward (UPSFF).  “The service will use a hub-and-spoke routing model to provide rapid delivery of time-and temperature-sensitive medicines and supplies, including PPE for medical professionals treating COVID-19 patients,” says a Matternet press release.

The Matternet solution is an elegant piece of hardware that enables a smooth workflow: UPS has spent decades in perfecting delivery operations.  The hospital operation demonstrates major efficiencies – and could represent a new way of doing business for hospital networks in the U.S.

“Matternet and UPSFF today started operating on two routes from one location at Wake Forest Baptist Health to two other health system locations, marking one of the first hub-and-spoke operating models for the U.S. drone delivery industry,” says the release. “One route will transport scheduled deliveries of specialty infusion medicines. These medicines are patient-specific, high-cost and have a short shelf-life, making delivery by drone within minutes an ideal solution. The second route will transport on-demand supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as surgical masks for medical professionals in their fight against COVID-19.”

“Increasing efficiency of our supply chain routes helps provide better service to our patients and their families,” said Conrad Emmerich, chief supply chain officer at Wake Forest Baptist Health. “Partnering with UPS Flight Forward through our iQ Healthtech Labs opens new doors for us to do just that through drone delivery.”

“Now more than ever it’s important for hospitals to have reliable, predictable and efficient methods for transporting critical medicines and time-sensitive lab samples that need results quickly,” said Andreas Raptopoulos, CEO of Matternet. “We are thrilled to expand our partnership with UPSFF to other U.S. hospitals and work with Wake Forest Baptist to implement our drone logistics network that will help transform their operations and patient care.”

UPSFF received one of the first Part 135 certifications in the U.S. last year, enabling them to operate a revenue generating drone delivery busienss. Partnering with drone delivery experts Matternet, the two launched the commercial operation in North Carolina, working with the North Carolina Department of Transportation as part of the FAA’s Integration Pilot Program.  “Since then, more than 2,200 deliveries (4,400 flights) of lab samples have been completed,” says the release.

UPS and Matternet are also working together in Florida to provide contact-free delivery of prescription medicines to residents of a retirement community.  Especially critical in the current COVID-19 crisis, the technology demonstrates a safe, viable and convenient alternative to in-person shopping.

(OKOTOKS, ALBERTA) – One of Canada’s most skilled operators in the world of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems has received a one-year Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) allowing the company to conduct repeated drone flights Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS).

With a flawless safety record, IN•FLIGHT Data has been a Canadian leader in pushing the envelope for safe, extended-range flight. The new Transport Canada approval opens the opportunity for ongoing, repeated BVLOS flights on behalf of IN•FLIGHT Data’s clients.

“I’m thrilled with the Transport Canada approval,” says IN•FLIGHT CEO Chris Healy. “I cannot tell you how happy this makes me, nor how proud I am of our team. This is definitely a lifetime career highlight for everyone.”

In Canada, drones – known officially as Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems or RPAS – are regulated by Transport Canada. The federal agency tries to strike a sound balance between encouraging innovation and entrepreneurialism
– and the safety of both manned aircraft and people on the ground. As the rules currently stand, all BVLOS RPAS flights require special permission from Transport Canada.

To obtain that permission, the agency must be satisfied the operator is flying safe equipment and is qualified – including having a deep understanding of airspace law and traffic in Canada. In addition, Transport Canada examined

IN•FLIGHT Data’s Standard Operating Procedures, emergency protocols, training and track record before determining that the company merited approval for ongoing BVLOS flights.

“I won’t kid you: This was a long and very detailed process,” says Healy. “But Transport Canada takes these applications very seriously as it should. We’re so pleased to be one of the very few in the country to have cleared this very high bar.”

The SFOC means that IN•FLIGHT DATA can now fly well beyond the range that can be seen by the pilot’s naked eye in all regions of Canada, day or night, above or below 400’ Above Ground Level BVLOS for public safety and until the summer of 2021.

This opens the door for long-range data acquisition on behalf of clients, including the ability to use cameras and other sensors to monitor long-range assets such as pipelines, power lines, and even coastlines. Such flights can also be used for complex 3D missions where the area of interest is scanned by laser using LiDAR or Light Detection And Ranging. RPAS can be deployed for Search and Rescue missions, oil leak detection, mapping, and even the delivery of critical medical supplies.

“Receiving this SFOC approval is more than just a validation of how we carry out business,” says Healy. “It also greatly expands the kinds of business IN•FLIGHT can carry out, as well as where and when these missions can take place. We look forward to a gathering a greater variety of data, over greater distances and for more clients, than ever before.”

In addition to being an RPAS pioneer in Canada, CEO Chris Healy serves on Transport Canada’s Remote Traffic Management Action Team, helping to shape the framework for safely integrating manned and unmanned aircraft in Canadian airspace. A Project Management specialist, Chris is also the chair of the RTM National RPAS Operators Group, representing the interests of drone operators across Canada to Transport Canada.

About IN•FLIGHT DATA: Based just south of Calgary, this RPAS service provider has built an outstanding client base since its 2014 inception, carrying out missions for private companies, organizations, and government agencies.

It holds three Guinness World Records for its drone flights, has a perfect safety record, and also trains pilots.

Learn more about the company at: http://www.inflightdata.ca

more about Chris at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrishealyprojects/

Drone spraying has been widely used in Southeast Asian countries such as China and Japan with great results. Now the trend is spreading to the US and Europe as well.

Currently, we are seeing a significant increase in the number of drones used in these countries because of their higher efficiency. Drone sprayers are equipped with the same parts as any other sprayer: a tank, a pump to push liquid through the hoses to the nozzles and a pressure gauge. But they have limitations, mostly on the size of these components, because of the power required to keep the drone sprayer in flight a reasonable time.

When referring to flight endurance, traditional spraying drones are not capable of flying more than 15 minutes for spraying works. Electric solutions make operators waste multiple hours waiting for batteries to cool down, charging and replacing them. All these logistics produce extra costs.

With +1 hour of flight time carrying 10L of liquid, HYBRiX aerial system is an innovation that makes it easier to work in a much more efficient way.

A few weeks ago due to the heavy rain, the entry of ground vehicles to the field was impossible, but thanks to HYBRiX technology farmers were able to spray all their vid fields in one day of work obtaining the expected results. This is just one of the clear benefits of drone technology.

Drones carry unique characteristics when applying liquid products. The product application is different from ground-based machines, helicopters or crop dusters. HYBRiX drone is mainly flown 2 – 10 meters above the crop with its 4 rotors creating a specific turbulence in the air that helps distribute the liquid uniformly. The 4 nozzles are positioned in such a way that they allow an excellent coverage of the applied products, reaching hidden layers of the crop.

HYBRiX Spraying solution is equipped with a 10 L liquid tank with a spray width up to 6 meters. The application rate is adaptable to the type of crop. The airframe resists rain and dust, and incorporates a high-precision positioning system to increase effectiveness.

It is still too soon to come to a conclusion on the potential of drone spraying at large scale, but they are already showing unique advantages over manned aircrafts and ground spraying equipment and their usages is expected to be increasing all over the world in the upcoming years.

Image west midlands police

Stourbridge News press TWO teenage machete suspects were arrested in Dudley thanks to state-of-the-art drone technology. Police have celebrated the help of the devices, which have helped in the arrest of almost 100 crime suspects since being launched last October.

The eye-in-the-sky tech has helped gather intelligence on illegal street racers and cannabis factories, along with helping find a host of missing people.

A drone pilot helped in the arrest of two teenagers in Dudley last month after police received reports of them armed with machetes in the Greens area.

One of the suspects, a 16-year-old boy was arrested when police arrived at Beech Green on June 13, but another suspect ran off by jumping over garden fences.

A drone spotted the 19-year-old trying to lie low on a school rooftop and the pilot guided a police dog to the location where he was detained.

Images and quotes courtesy By Stourbridge News/Danielle Poole/ West Midlands Police

The pandemic-driven digital shift is a ready-made moment for new delivery systems like drones. The issue is whether drones are ready for the moment. Questions still abound about privacy and public adoption of the technology, but according to a new report from the World Economic Forum (WEF) the pandemic might be on the verge of producing a “golden age” of drones.

“At the core of greater drone adoption is not significant technological maturation but rather a recognition that the utility of drones outweighs potential risks, such as collision with aircraft or use by bad actors,” says the WEF. “Society has begun to see a benefit from drones. And while the risk equation has not changed, pressure to address an existential threat (COVID-19) combined with a mandate for leadership has opened minds and incentivized decision makers to consider not just the risks, but also the benefits. In other words, government decision makers are being asked — for the first time in some developed economies — to expand what’s possible in response to the crisis.”

There are still cultural and regulatory issues regarding the usage of drones, even as they’re being pressed into service to deliver healthcare supplies to COVID-19 patients and care facilities. For example, during the coronavirus pandemic, drones have been used by police to enforce lockdowns. Drones normally used in agriculture have sprayed disinfectant over cities. In the U.K., drone delivery trials are taking place to carry medical items to the Isle of Wight. Yet, the public jury on drones is still out.

U.S. sentiment on the technology hasn’t been measured recently. German citizens, according to a report in Drone Life, aren’t ready. More than 55 percent oppose the use of delivery drones. Two primary concerns dominate the conversation about integrating drone technology into German communities: safety and environmental impact. Seventy-five percent of respondents fear that delivery drones could lead to accidents causing injuries to people and 79 percent liked them due to the technologies lighter environmental footprint.

“While some argue that drone technology wasn’t mature enough to be trusted at large scale — and cultural questions around privacy, noise and annoyance have hampered the expansion of flights — a societal and governmental shift in evaluating acceptable risk is driving greater implementation,” says the WEF. “With air travel down nearly 90% and dramatically fewer cars on the road due to shelter-in-place orders, the risks drones might present in the air and on the ground are significantly reduced. Meanwhile, pressure has been mounting to streamline drone use to deliver vital goods, support social distancing and enable essential workers to operate with greater efficiency and efficacy.”

UPS drone delivery took a step forward recently when it partnered with leading U.S. drone service providers DroneUp, UPS subsidiary UPS Flight Forward (UPSFF), Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology (CIT), and Workhorse Group to test drone delivery exhaustively — proving the case for drones to take a role in helping medical professionals respond to COVID-19.

“Many in the public — along with federal, state and local officials — are asking how drones can be used in this time of crisis,” said Tom Walker, DroneUp CEO. “Rather than speculate, it is incumbent upon our industry to conduct operationally-based exercises that produce factual data and lessons learned to ensure we can respond safely, effectively and efficiently when called upon. Data collected now will impact our capabilities beyond the COVID-19 outbreak we are currently facing.”

Amazon’s drone project was slated to start sometime this year. Business Insider reports that an internal memo puts that service for five-pound packages at August 31.

And Google’s Wing project last week became the first in the world to offer a library book drone delivery service. The idea — allowing kids to access titles even when the library was closed due to novel coronavirus — came from Kelly Passek, a Blacksburg, Virginia middle school librarian.

“Access to school library resources is essential for the success of our students,” Passek said in a statement published on the Wing blog. “The MCPS-Wing partnership allows us the most unique way to continue to provide that access so that our students are able to stay engaged with independent reading and continue on their path of success even during this time of social distancing.”

One of Canada’s top drone delivery companies is “Coming to America” (FYI: Not an Eddie Murphy sequel).

This week, Drone Delivery Canada launched the first steps to soar into the U.S. market, sparking discussions with potential American partners. A company spokesperson said several companies had expressed interest in working with the Toronto-based UAV firm to “provide [DDC’s] proprietary systems to support drone delivery solutions for multiple vertical markets and use-cases in multiple geographies.”

Recently, DDC kick-started application efforts for an aircraft Type Design Approval for the Sparrow drone, with subsequent aircraft in DDC’s fleet to follow.

Potential American partners would use the firm’s system to conduct for-hire drone delivery operations in the U.S. under FAA regulations.

“The aircraft Type Certification effort is an essential first step for enabling FAA approval of routine beyond visual line-of-sight delivery operations, which in-turn will provide significant opportunities for expansion,” a DDC spokesperson added. Currently, Drone Delivery Canada is permitted to conduct limited delivery operations in the U.S. under FAA visual line-of-sight regulations.

“We have successfully proven and commercialized the business model and gained market traction in Canada, and it’s a natural progression to expand, in a controlled means, to international markets,” DDC CEO Michael Zahra said.

He added:

“We have active discussions underway in numerous international target markets and the United States is an obvious choice.  We have flown successfully in the Unites States in a Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) pilot project, and now we are ready to start the process to enter the United States commercially. We are excited about the opportunities ahead of us in Canada and internationally and have a strong funnel of interested prospects.”

Drone Delivery Canada News Roundup

• June: DDC captured its second contract with DSV Air & Sea Inc. Canada, a subsidiary of Danish conglomerate DSV Panalpina A/S.
• June: Drone Delivery Canada announced a collaboration with GlobalMedic and Air Canada to deliver COVID-treatment cargo to Christian Island, a remote territory governed by the Beausoleil First Nation Community in Ontario.
• November: DDC announced its first partnership with European logistics/transport group DSV Panalpina A/S to provide a drone-based delivery platform to the Danish conglomerate’s new Canadian air and sea division.
• February 2019: Drone Delivery Canada unveiled its largest and longest-range drone, the Condor. Under development over the past year, the single-rotor vehicle offers a payload of 400 pounds and can travel up to 124 miles on a tank of gas.
• 2018: DDC announced a partnership with Toyota Tsusho Canada – a subsidiary of the well-known Toyota Group. The effort will see TTCI participate with DDC’s commercial pilot program in Canada for flight testing and development of international markets for drone delivery.

The Black Swift S0 drone, developed for the USAF to gather weather data in extreme conditions. Photograph: Black Swift Technologies

A drone developed for the USAF can fly into the most extreme weather conditions to gather data on winds and wind shear

A new portable drone will gather weather data in extreme conditions. Developed by Black Swift Technologies for the USAF, the hand-launched drone has a wingspan of 1.3 meters. Most small drones are fair-weather fliers, but the S0 can cope with storm-force winds and arctic temperatures.

Black Swift CEO Jack Elston says the company has benefitted from experience of sturdy airframe designs from dynamic soaring, a sport in which unmanned gliders compete to reach the highest speed. Previous Black Swift drones have flown missions in supercell thunderstorms and tornadic conditions.

A set of strategically placed heating elements prevent the drone’s sensors from icing over in freezing conditions.

The USAF will use the new drone to reduce the risk of parachuting soldiers or heavy equipment being pushed off course by unexpected winds. It carries sensors to map wind shear, the sometimes-dramatic changes in wind speed and direction with height. Currently wind shear is estimated by computer modelling, but the S0 will gather data on the spot, climbing rapidly from ground level to 15,000 feet.

Elston plans to bring out a low-cost version of the S0 for civilian meteorologists shortly after he delivers to the Air Force next spring. This may prove to be popular, as many researchers currently have to build their own, attaching sensors to flimsy commercial drones.

Source: Anduril      Anduril Anvil interceptor drone

Counter-drone startup Anduril raised a $200 million round of capital.

The funding nearly doubles its prior valuation, raising its worth to $1.9 billion, says the company on 1 July. Anduril plans to use the cash to improve its autonomous unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) and artificial intelligence software, as well as make additional hires.