{"id":19938,"date":"2019-07-11T04:02:15","date_gmt":"2019-07-11T08:02:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mdpair.com\/world-long-range-drone-delivers-cold-chain-medicines-vaccines-between-islands-in-caribbean\/"},"modified":"2019-07-11T04:02:15","modified_gmt":"2019-07-11T08:02:15","slug":"world-long-range-drone-delivers-cold-chain-medicines-vaccines-between-islands-in-caribbean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mdpair.com\/?p=19938","title":{"rendered":"World: Long-Range Drone Delivers Cold-Chain Medicines, Vaccines Between Islands in Caribbean"},"content":{"rendered":"

11 Jul 2019 Long-Range Drone Delivers Cold-Chain Medicines, Vaccines Between Islands in Caribbean Reportfrom Direct Relief<\/a> Published on 10 Jul 2019 \u2014 View Original<\/a> <\/p>\n

In what could represent a significant step forward in biopharmaceutical supply chain innovation and for humanitarian efforts around the world, a consortium comprised of AT&T, Direct Relief, Merck and Softbox has completed a program testing the potential of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, also known as drones) to deliver temperature-dependent medicines and vaccines to hard-to-reach locations.<\/p>\n

\u201cExperience and research consistently show that those most at risk in disasters live in communities which are likely to be cut off from essential health care due to disruption of transportation and communications,\u201d said Andrew Schroeder, director of research and analysis at Direct Relief. \u201cDrone delivery is one of the most promising answers to this problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the test, a UAV flew over open water between the islands of the Bahamas, beyond the operator\u2019s line of sight.<\/p>\n

The fully autonomous flight incorporated cold-chain delivery technology allowing for precise control of temperatures as low as minus 70 Celsius, the level required for storing and transporting some life-saving medicines and vaccines. It utilized live, continuous temperature tracking through the duration of the flight with cloud-based, real-time data analysis and collection, designed to ensure safe and effective delivery.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile more remains to be done to operationalize medical cargo drones in distress, successful tests like this one demonstrate that remarkable new humanitarian capabilities are emerging quickly,\u201d said Schroeder.<\/p>\n

Volans-i built and operated the all-electric drones. Softbox developed the temperature-controlled payload box, which was connected by AT&T. Merck initiated the idea and provided supply chain expertise.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis successful pilot demonstrates the potential of innovative UAV technology to aid in the delivery of temperature-dependent pills and vaccines to people who critically need them,\u201d said Craig Kennedy, senior vice president of supply chain at Merck. \u201cThe potential of UAV technology is just one of the many areas in which we are innovating across our business and our supply chain to maximize our ability to save and improve lives around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pilot in the Bahamas was the fourth in a series of proof-of-concept missions the group has undertaken to demonstrate the potential of delivering temperature-controlled medicines and vaccines using drones.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is to revolutionize the way goods and people move in the world,\u201d said Hannan Parvizian, CEO and co-founder of Volans-i. \u201cdemonstrating our ability to make temperature-controlled drone deliveries in various climate and terrain conditions across these pilots is a first step towards realizing our vision for a world in which no one should be deprived of access to life-saving medical supplies and vaccination due to lack of infrastructure and responsiveness of the transportation ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n

The group previously launched test flights in Switzerland and Puerto Rico.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe data collected during the successful flights have shown everybody involved the power of IoT to provide full visibility of the cold chain, even in the most extreme environments while using innovative transportation modes,\u201d said Richard Wood, director of digital connected Technologies at Softbox.<\/p>\n

The organizations involved in the successful pilot plan to continue to explore ways in which this technology can be used to deliver life-saving medicines and vaccines to the communities that need them most.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough close collaboration with Direct Relief, Merck, Volans-I and AT&T, we have successfully proven the capabilities of this unique and ground-breaking combination of cutting-edge technologies and now will focus our efforts on completing subsequent pilot projects,\u201d said Wood.<\/p>\n

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World<\/a> <\/p>\n