Drones Are Delivering COVID-19 Masks & Test Samples To Medical Facilities, FAA-Approved

These long-range drones are the first in history to be approved by the FAA — Zipline is leveraging their technology as a contactless delivery method.

The autonomous delivery drone in action. Zipline

This is an extraordinary time to be alive — As human beings, we are finally using our technologies to better improve the way we live and adapt, (technology that would’ve been used solely for warfare 70-years ago). 2020’s infamous COVID-19 pandemic brought its fair share of changes to communities in every continent on the planet, but it also pushed our boundaries of innovation, resulting in very strategic solutions, otherwise, non-existent.

Zipline, a San Francisco-based startup worth over $1.2B is utilizing its proprietary drone technology in new ways to face the threat of coronavirus through their latest partnership with Novant Health, a non-profit healthcare system in North Carolina [1].

Although this is not the first application of drone deliveries in the US, it is definitely the most innovative. Earlier in May, UPS started their own CVS prescriptions drone delivery network throughout an entire retirement community down in Florida [2]. The prescriptions are being delivered from a central point inside a gated community with a radius of around 1/2 a mile (Quite impressive, but we’ve been hearing about drone deliveries for years now, therefore it’s nothing extraordinary). On the flip side, Zipline is actually the first long-range delivery operation in the United States— Packages are being delivered right to the locations where they are needed. Here is how the entire process works in North Carolina:

The drones operate out of a central emergency launch center in Kannapolis, North Carolina.

A professional operator running the regular safety checklist before launching a drone into mid-air for an emergency flight. Photo credits: Novant Health

During operation, a Zipline autonomous drone is loaded with the necessary COVID-19 test samples and PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) including FDA-certified masks — The loads are carefully packed with protective bubble-wrap around. Once ready, the drones are launched into the air on a speed accelerator (Shown in the…