MEDICAL DEVICES
FLEDGLING FIRMS Alongside Zipline – which in early April unveiled the fastest commercial delivery drone on Earth , robust enough to withstand heavy wind , rain or high altitude – there are many more fledgling firms . Flirtey , a Nevada-based startup that made history in March 2016 – completing the first federally-sanctioned fully autonomous drone delivery in a US urban area – hopes to shuttle first aid kits , emergency medication and defibrillators . It retains some altogether broader aims , too . True to its slogan , “ Anything anytime anywhere ”, Flirtey enjoyed another first – completing the world ’ s first pizza-by-drone delivery ,
in association with Domino ’ s in New Zealand .
San Francisco Bay Area company , Matternet , possesses its own grand plans : a network of “ flying things ” to bring medical supplies to remote locations all over the world . Though a lot of its work is focused in Africa ( a recent collaboration with UNICEF and VillageReach saw Matternet drones transport HIV tests in Malawi ), last October the firm launched a medical transport network in Lugano , Switzerland , in partnership with Swiss Post . The first autonomous , non-pilot network in an urban area , Matternet drones have so far made more than 350 successful deliveries , averaging between five and 15 per day .
56 May 2018