Telangana is set to initiate a trial run for delivering vaccines by drones from today. This will pave the way for using this route to healthcare centers in remote parts of the country. 

Delhi-based drone delivery tech firm, Skye Air Mobility, has collaborated with Blue Dart for a three-phase trial for the Telangana government’s project called “Medicine from the sky”.

Each drone will initially carry 175 vaccines and fly within line of sight, and later move beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS). For the trial run, the vaccines being delivered will not be the COVID-19 shots, but some other vaccines.

Boxes weighing 2-3kg will be taken from Vikarabad District Hospital toprimary healthcare centers, about 500 metres away, flying to an altitude of up to 400ft. Skye Air Mobility co-founder Swapnik Jakkampuddi stated that this is the first trial to deliver vaccines through drones. On Thursday, the trial will begin with within line of sight, covering a distance of up to 1km. Eventually, when they will go for BVLOS in the trial, delivery will be done up to 10km within a span of 20-25 minutes.

Source: ET Healthworld