The Windracers ULTRA – a car-sized drone that can carry 220lb (100kg) loads over 620 miles (1,000km) – completed its first successful delivery of medical supplies across the Solent to the Isle of Wight. The cargo of pathology samples was picked up from the airfield on the island and driven to the local hospital. The twin-engine drone was designed and built by the University of Southampton for Windracers so that supplies could be transported to St. Mary’s Hospital from the mainland more quickly and affordably.
Stephen Wright, Executive Chairman of Windracers, said:
We have been working with the University of Southampton for over three years to design and build the Windracers ULTRA UAV. Our aim has always been to provide fast, cost-effective service to transport humanitarian aid, medical supplies, or other critical materials over long distances, whether over land, water, or hostile terrain and to deliver where other vehicles or aircraft are unable to access.
Maggie Oldham, Chief Executive at Isle of Wight NHS Trust, added:
Longer-term, this work has the potential to significantly improve services for our patients by reducing waiting times for test results and speeding up the transfer of important, possibly life-saving equipment or medication.
The plan is to have the aircraft available as a backup to existing delivery routes involving the ferry service. The operation can carry out ten round-trip flights per day, but whether or not they do that many depend on the requirements of the NHS.
The trial program was launched sooner than expected because of the coronavirus pandemic. The ferry saw reduced service times due to the COVID-19 crisis, and flights were canceled, so drones rose to become the ideal solution. As long as the shipments are under 220lbs, the drone is a perfect choice as it dramatically reduces delivery time and cost.
Conrad Haigh from Solent Transport, which is running the project, said:
It’s a step forward in the fact it’s giving a much faster-pace delivery. There are some (national health) services that require a very timely delivery and some of those aspects are going to be facilitated in a much better way.
The UK isn’t the only place using drones to deliver medical supplies. In Malawi, Africa, they are also using them to send essential supplies to remote regions.
And medical supplies aren’t the only things being delivered by drone either. There’s a French postal service providing packages to villages in the Alps mountains when driving is too dangerous due to ice and snow. Meanwhile, in Japan, they are using drones to deliver fresh seafood from fishers to restaurants faster.
