As far as UAV flights go, this one supremely qualifies as beyond visual line of sight. Last month, Swedish specialized drone services company Everdrone successfully controlled the delivery of an automated external defibrillator (AED) from a distance of 800 kilometers away – and an entirely different country.
The 1.6 km drone delivery of an AED flew a five-minute route in Helsinki, Finland, but was controlled by Everdrone technicians in Gothenburg, Sweden. The mission was the first UAV delivery of an AED piloted from a different country, and one of the few de facto cross-border drone operations in the European Union. Several successive variations of AED deliveries to other destinations around Helsinki were orchestrated from the Gothenburg command center – but by then, everyone involved had been there, done that, and drank the Champagne. Still, it’s a big deal.
Everdrone, which focuses on serving first responder and public safety clients, has made drone…
