UPS has partnered with a drone technology company to deliver medical samples across the Raleigh, N.C., campus of WakeMed Health & Hospitals, according to Healthcare Dive.
The partnership is part of a three-year Federal Aviation Administration pilot program to test practical applications for drones.
The trips between WakeMed buildings mark the first time the FAA has allowed regular commercial flights of drones carrying products.
The FAA hadn't previously allowed drones to make routine commercial package deliveries, known as revenue flights. Others have flown drone deliveries as part of smaller-scale tests or demonstrations.
Drones are also being seen as a way to respond in times of natural and other disasters. In Hattiesburg, Miss., for instance, researchers at William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine have developed a drone with a telemedical kit.
The kit includes diagnostics and medical equipment, as well as video guidance and a holographic interface, that enables doctors to talk with bystanders or victims virtually. It also includes locked medicine bins,
Cathryn Jakicic is healthcare industries editor of FacilitiesNet.com. For more information on hospital campuses and other medical facilities, visit Healthcare Facilities Today.
