Walmart said today that it would start delivering COVID-19 test kits by drone through an automated drone delivery system to customers’ doorsteps in a pilot project.

Walmart to deliver COVID-19 test kits by drone in pilot project

For this drone delivery service pilot project, Walmart has teamed with Quest Diagnostics and drone services provider DroneUp.

Testing the drone delivery service of COVID-19 test kits will take place in North Las Vegas from Tuesday. Walmart plans to conduct a trial run in Cheektowaga, NY, in early October.

“Walmart has been serving the North Las Vegas community throughout the pandemic with drive-thru testing sites, and we wanted to provide another way to access testing that provides convenience and leverages technology while learning how drones could impact the delivery of healthcare in the future,” said Amanda Jenkins, Vice President of Operation Support and Implementation, Walmart U.S. Health and Wellness “We are grateful to our Quest and DroneUp partners, and our pharmacists and associates, for their support in launching the pilot as we continue to work together during the pandemic.”

Earlier this month DroneXL reported on Walmart as the retail giant is looking to start testing the delivery of groceries and other household products by drone in Fayetteville in Carolina do Norte.

Walmart has ramped up their pickup and delivery services during the Coronavirus pandemic as consumers prefer to have products delivered to them.

As part of the tests that start on Tuesday, the Walmart drone delivery service will drop the COVID-19 collection kits on driveways, front sidewalks, or backyards of homes within a 1-mile radius of designated Walmart stores.

“Collaborating to deliver self-collection kits offers further investment into solutions that will advance safe and effective drone delivery,” said Tom Walker, Founder & CEO of DroneUp. “We are honored to partner with Walmart and Quest to pioneer these deliveries and equally as proud to serve our communities.”

The tests are designed to be self-administered with a nasal swab by customers and then sent back to Quest Diagnostics for testing, reports the NYPost.

Recently Walmart also teamed up with Zipline to make on-demand drone deliveries of select health and wellness products near its headquarters in Northwest Arkansas.

DroneUp has partnered with @Walmart & @QuestDX to pilot #dronedelivery of at-home #COVID19 self-collection kits, an innovative new way to provide additional & contactless testing options. Deliveries begin in North Las Vegas today. Learn more: https://t.co/UTmZ63MIvJ pic.twitter.com/Ck1eKlvah5

— DroneUp (@godroneup) September 22, 2020

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