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TRIMIS

The electric VTOL-fixed wing drone for urgent medical delivery

Project

SkySaver - The electric VTOL-fixed wing drone for urgent medical delivery


Funding origin:
European
European Union
STRIA Roadmaps:
Connected and automated transport (CAT)
Connected and automated transport
Transport mode:
Airborne
Airbone
Duration:
Start date: 01/08/2020,
End date: 31/07/2022

Status: Finished
Funding details:
Total cost:
€1 978 750
EU Contribution:
€1 385 125

Overview

Background & policy context:

Medical supplies like pharmaceuticals, vaccines or blood are often kept in central laboratories, to minimise costs. However, this means that supplies are often urgently transported on roads in densely populated areas and cities, where urbanisation is expected to reduce transport speed by 30 % to 50 % in the next 3 years. Novel solutions are needed to ensure on-demand and timely delivery of urgent supplies.

The world is becoming more densely populated, which challenges our current healthcare system. The discernible acceleration of urbanisation will further decrease the average urban road transport speed with 30-50% in the next 3 years. Meanwhile many tasks like stock-keeping of blood and vaccines, and laboratory services are centralising for cost minimisation. Thereby increasing both the number of transports and transport distances of urgent medical supplies. The result is that road logistics operators are no future-proof solution to assure in-time delivery of urgent medical supplies.

Objectives:

The EU-funded SkySaver project offers the breakthrough solution of a cost-efficient, specialised, medical delivery drone. Known as the SkySaver, it has been developed by Avy for the urgent transportation of clinical specimens, blood, pharmaceutical supplies, drugs and vaccines from and to hospitals, laboratories and production facilities. It will reduce the time of delivery by 30 % to 60 %, saving the lives of people in urgent need.

Avy has developed a medical delivery drone – the SkySaver - for urgent transport of clinical specimens, blood, pharmaceutical supplies, drugs and vaccines from and to hospitals, laboratories and production facilities. The SkySaver is a highly cost-efficient solution and can assure on-demand and in-time delivery of urgent supplies in populated areas over a distance of 150km. The SkySaver will deliver on average 30% faster than road courier, during rush hours the SkySaver is even 60% faster, while the transport costs are less than conventional urgent road transport. The SkySaver is the breakthrough solution disrupting the medical distribution industry enabling fast, cost-efficient and zero-emission delivery of urgent supplies. This will enable Europe to keep providing healthcare to people in need, and safe lives, every day.

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