Novant Health Inc., a not-for-profit, integrated healthcare system headquartered in North Carolina, has partnered with Zipline to launch America’s first emergency drone logistics operation by a hospital for its pandemic response.
Novant Health, which operates 15 hospitals and nearly 700 locations in the southeastern United States, was granted a part 107 waiver from the FAA to begin operation under the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) UAS Integration Pilot Program (UAS IPP). The operation will provide contactless distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) and critical medical supplies to Novant Health frontline medical teams in the Charlotte, North Carolina metro area.
Package Delivery
Package Delivery
Weekend Roundup: May 22, 2020
This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World
Drones were used to show thanks and appreciation for health care heroes, frontline workers and first responders on the evening of Friday, May 15 at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. 140 coordinated drones lit the sky in formations depicting inspiring words and images. (Vanderbilt University)
Weekend Roundup: May 15, 2020
This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World
To further commercialize its autonomous aerial vehicles (AAVs), EHang has entered into a strategic partnership with a Shenzhen-listed tourism platform company called LN Holdings. EHang will integrate its Urban Air Mobility (UAM) platforms into LN Holdings’ hotel/tourism businesses. (EHang)
Dive Delivery granted permission to conduct drone deliveries in California
A delivery service focusing on residential and commercial drone delivery called Dive Delivery has received permission from the FAA to perform drone deliveries under existing Part 107 rules and regulations.
Wingcopter showcases emergency delivery capabilities during Lake Kivu Challenge
On Tuesday, May 5, the organizing committee of the Lake Kivu Challenge announced that Wingcopter was the winner of the Emergency Delivery category of the Flying Competition, which was part of the 2020 African Drone Forum that took place in February in Rwanda.
Also the recipient of a special award for its safety procedures, Wingcopter will receive prize money of GBP 65,000.
“We are very proud to be winners of the Lake Kivu Challenge, as this challenge and the African Drone Forum embody the innovative spirit of humanitarian aid and the African drone community as well as the great potential for sustainable drone deployments,” says Tom Plümmer, CEO and co-founder of Wingcopter.
Weekend Roundup: May 1, 2020
This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World
The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) is working with stakeholders across various communities to study challenging, dynamic scenarios involving automated driving systems. The collaborative team is also examining ways to facilitate communications between these systems and their supporting physical infrastructure. (Virginia Tech Daily)
UPS Flight Forward, CVS to use drones to deliver medicines to Florida retirement community
UPS has announced that starting in May, its subsidiary UPS Flight Forward and CVS will use drones to deliver prescription medicines from a CVS pharmacy to The Villages, Florida, which is the largest U.S. retirement community, home to more than 135,000 residents.
Utilizing Matternet’s M2 drone system, the service will operate under the FAA’s Part 107 rules, with authority to operate through the Coronavirus pandemic and explore ongoing needs as they arise after that period. The operation could expand to include deliveries from two more CVS pharmacies in the area.
Workhorse Group expands patented portfolio for HorseFly UAS and key components
Through a recently filed provisional application, Workhorse Group Inc. has expanded its patent portfolio, which further protects its HorseFly UAS, as well as several of the system's key components and capabilities including the ground control station, winch deliveries and aircraft structure.
Built to operate autonomously with a high degree of precision, the HorseFly UAS includes a safe, reliable, multi-use aircraft that can deliver parcels and carry sensors and cameras.
UAVOS successfully tests cargo delivery UVH-170 unmanned helicopter
During a trial designed to validate a highly automated delivery flight from a vendor to a destination and back, across precisely pre-selected pathways, UAVOS successfully tested its cargo delivery UVH-170 unmanned helicopter.
During the 1.7-hour flight that covered a standoff distance of 62 miles, critical humanitarian aid that weighed 17.6 pounds was delivered without the UAS having to land, and without the need for a ground control station on the receiving side.
UPS Flight Forward, Wingcopter partner to develop next-gen package delivery drones
UPS Flight Forward (UPSFF) and German drone-maker Wingcopter are partnering to develop the next generation of package delivery drones for various use cases in the United States and internationally.
Wingcopter says that UPS chose it for this collaboration for two reasons: for its UAS technology, and for its track record in delivering a variety of goods over long distances in multiple international settings.
“Drone delivery is not a one-size-fits-all operation,” says Bala Ganesh, vice president of the UPS Advanced Technology Group.
