Delivering medical supplies into the heart of the Amazonian rainforest is no easy feat. So a group within BD, a medical technology manufacturer, is testing whether drones will do the trick.
The company worked with WeRobotics, an international NGO that promotes the use of drones for social good around the world, and UAV del Peru, a local affiliate. for its first set of field tests. At the Exponential Medicine conference in San Diego, California, last week, the groups showed off their solution, which includes a special pouch for diagnostic tests, blood collection kits and other supplies, that fits neatly into the drone.
Juan Bergelund, a manager of UAV del Peru, said the drones are designed to land in soccer fields. And that the company is training locals on the ground about the technology, so they understand how to work and use it.
It's still early days for the technology, which isn't as accurate and precise as it needs to be. But both BD and UAV del Peru see major potential to use drones to deliver potentially life-saving supplies in the most remote parts of the world.