Drone flies medical samples to the laboratory – Liechtenstein
VADUZ/BUCHS – The laboratory group Dr. Together with the start-up Jedsy, Risch is launching a pilot project to transport laboratory samples using drones. A world first is used: a unique drone that can dock at the window.
Every day around 50 courier drivers across Switzerland work for Dr. Risch in action. They bring medical samples to the regional laboratories within a few hours. “The last two years during the corona pandemic have impressively shown how important this service is for the healthcare system. However, if the courier vehicles are stuck in traffic or are on the road during rush hours, the planned daily routine for the analysis and medical diagnosis is delayed,” explains Martin Risch, CEO of Dr. Risch Group, on the occasion of the presentation of the project.
Together with the start-up Jedsy, Dr. Risch Group therefore launched a pilot project in which the samples are flown by drone through the laboratory. The first route has now been approved by the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) between the laboratory locations in Buchs SG and Vaduz.
Unique drone
The start-up Jedsy has developed a completely new type of drone that can dock outside the window or balcony. Loading and unloading the drone should only take a few seconds and can be done comfortably from the window in any weather. The docking station also charges the drone’s battery, so the aircraft is always ready for use and in the air within 60 seconds.
Jedsy designs the so-called glider in such a way that it will be significantly quieter than the well-known multicopter. All systems are also redundant and therefore designed to be fail-safe. Jedsy and Dr. According to Risch, privacy is very important: the operator follows the flight of the drone via live stream, but as soon as it approaches the building, the area around it, with the exception of the docking station, is blurred.
“With the new drone, we have already gained important flight experience in Malawi, where over 5,000 flights have been carried out as part of the UNICEF drone corridor,” said Herbert Weirather, CEO of Jedsy. Health centers there with critical medications would already believe from Jedsy and the service is being continuously expanded.
Drone as the future?
Drone transport is not new in Switzerland, but has faced some major challenges in the past. Some larger transport companies already have test flights, but most of the projects have been discontinued. Three people were often involved per flight, one person each for the take-off and landing areas and the operator. In addition, there were complex checklists and packaging, which often increased the preparation time to more than 20 minutes. With the drone from Jedsy, these challenges should be a thing of the past. A recently published regulation by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which will soon also apply in Switzerland, provided an additional impetus. The new requirement allows air carriers like Jedsy to have their parcel delivery drones fully certified. As a result, the entire healthcare system could be supplied by drone deliveries as early as 2024.