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Drones Could Soon Be Used To Deliver Medical Supplies in North Carolina (newsobserver.com)

Posted by msmash on from the interesting-moves dept.

Drones could soon be ferrying blood and other medical supplies to hospitals and clinics in North Carolina if the N.C. Department of Transportation's bid to be part of a federal test program is approved. From a report: NCDOT is leading a team of private companies that proposes to set up a network of distribution centers that would use unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to make medical deliveries in North Carolina. The drone delivery companies, including Matternet and Zipline, operate overseas but not in the U.S. "We're really excited that drone technology may allow doctors and hospitals to save more lives in North Carolina soon," Bobby Walston, the state Director of Aviation, said in a statement. "We've been researching and investing in drone technology for years at NCDOT. This proposal represents the next big step for us as we remain a national leader in the UAS field." The North Carolina proposal is one of about 210 applications to the Federal Aviation Administration's Drone Integration Pilot Program, a three-year effort launched by the Trump administration last fall to test drones for various purposes to help determine how to safely expand the use of commercial drones in the U.S.

4 of 32 comments (clear)

  1. This might make sense by Locke2005 · · Score: 2

    I usually insist that drone delivery is a bad idea because there is no way of insuring the item is delivered to it's intended recipient. However, if you're delivering to an existing helipad on top of a hospital, it sounds pretty safe. (The other way to effectively "sign" for packages would be to require the phone the item was ordered with to be within bluetooth range of the delivery; with adequate encryption technology, that might work. The current "just leave it on the doorstep" delivery method seems insane to me.)

    --
    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
    1. Re:This might make sense by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 2

      The current "just leave it on the doorstep" delivery method is already insane.

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      #DeleteFacebook
  2. I could soon by 110010001000 · · Score: 2

    I could soon be visiting Mars. I could soon be dating a supermodel. I could soon join the NBA.

  3. I knew things were bad in North Carolina... by PvtVoid · · Score: 2

    ... but I thought they still had a functioning road system.