Drone delivery service provider Skyports has collaborated with technology communications company Vodafone and digital consultants Deloitte to transport medical supplies and samples for the NHS in Scotland using drones. The live flights will take place later this year and will use mobile connectivity and space-based technology.
The Skyports-led project was selected following a drive to find space-enabled technology and services that can support the NHS response to coronavirus and stop the spread of the disease in a joint funding initiative between the UK Space Agency (UKSA) and the European Space Agency (ESA).
In the coming months, Skyports will start delivering pathology samples, medicine, essential personal protective equipment (PPE) and COVID-19 testing kits between hospitals and to and from medical practices in Argyll and Bute on the west coast of Scotland.
Through Skyports’ technology, pick-ups that currently take up to 48 hours to be transported between healthcare sites will take only 30 minutes and with a much higher frequency.
