UK startups trial medical drone delivery in real-world scenarios

A duo of UK startups working to improve deliveries of materials critical for medical care is pairing up to trial beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone flights in exacting real-world scenarios over a three-month period between Warwickshire hospitals.

The partnership has been formed by UAV service provider Skyfarer, which will elevate the previously ground-based activities of London courier company Medical Logistics UK to the skies. Together they’ll rely on a dedicated 32 km corridor approved by UK regulator Civil Aviation Authority to provide BVLOS drone deliveries of a wide range of materials for medical use between hospitals in Coventry and Rugby in central England. Plans call for scheduled, on-demand, and simulated emergency flights to be operated on the same 24/4 basis hospitals do, and in whatever weather conditions those coincide with.

The first objective of the campaign is similar to previous testing of drone medical deliveries, most of which…