DJI Inspire drones are used to transport COVID-19 tests in NY

DJI Inspire drones are used to transport COVID-19 test kits between a hospital and a biotech lab in the state of New York. The project is the result of a partnership between Airspace Link and the city of Syracuse.

DJI Inspire drones are used to transport COVID-19 tests in NY

DroneUp piloted the drone deliveries in mid-January, flying the COVID-19 test kits from the State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate University Medical Hospital to the biotech lab building about half a mile away.

The drone delivery tests with the DJI Inspire drones showed that the unmanned aircraft could safely deliver the kits to the biotech lab in as little as three minutes. A round trip including the package drop-off could be successfully made within eight minutes, which is significantly faster than traditional delivery methods. A reduction in turn-around time means that patients can be helped faster.

“SUNY Upstate University Medical Hospital is at the tip of the spear in terms of showing the benefits of these new drone technologies for improving medical treatment for the citizens of Syracuse as well as the broader healthcare industry as a whole,” says Lisa Peterson, vice president of business development for Airspace Link.

“This was also important since the drone flew in the middle of the city during the day over people, requiring a special approval from the FAA. I believe this went a long way to help citizens of Syracuse realize how drones can be safely integrated into their community.”

The drone operations were managed by using Airspace Link's AirHub platform, which combines key data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and state and local governments to help unlock new advanced, autonomous drone solutions for public safety and health care services.

“We are looking forward to our continued work with the city of Syracuse to help them put in the proper foundation to support the fast adoption of drone technologies by businesses and recreational users, which is driving more drone traffic in the local airspace,” says Michael Healander, CEO of Airspace Link. “Our solution empowers the city with the data-driven insights, planning tools, and digital infrastructure that will help the COVID-19 test kit drone delivery services and future drone operations safely scale.”

Airspace Link is an FAA-approved UAS Service Supplier (USS) of the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability. Its low altitude drone infrastructure is deployed to local communities and airports to support the safe use of recreational and commercial drones in the region, reports DBusiness.

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