Drone system delivers medical supplies

Drone technology startup Matternet has today unveiled its new station hub tech – which will be used to distribute medical supplies in Switzerland.

The small Matternet Station, the final piece in the Californian company’s tech jigsaw, enables drones to reload and refuel autonomously. It works in unison with the M2 autonomous drone and cloud platform to offer users an easy to use logistics network.

Earlier this year Matternet was given the green light to operate the system over urban centres in Switzerland and, in the first instance, the stations will be used to transport ‘blood and pathology samples between hospital facilities’ in the country.

“With the Matternet Station, we’re introducing an extremely easy-to-use interface that enables true peer-to-peer drone delivery,” explained Matternet CEO, Andreas Raptopoulos. “For healthcare systems, an integrated Matternet network means that medical items can be delivered to any hospital facility within 30 minutes. This level of speed and predictability creates substantial opportunities for improved quality of care and operational savings.”

It is the latest example of drones doing good with the technology hitting the headlines recently for providing support to teams tackling natural disasters.