Massachusetts residents may soon be able to have some medical supplies and healthcare products delivered to their homes by drones.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Aeronautics Division said Tuesday that drones have been successfully evaluated to be used for delivering medical supplies for various operational needs, such as healthcare delivery and emergency management.
A demonstration involving three companies, including Draganfly, took place between August and December 2024.
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Flight simulations were assessed to see if the companies could successfully deliver supplies in support of home-based healthcare.
“This medical delivery demonstration underscores the value of drones for many operational needs,” said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. “Drones have already proven useful in operations, including MBTA track corridor inspections, MassDOT Highway bridge inspections, overhead project evaluations, and other needs. We continue to assess the use of drones for other purposes in the future.”
The drones carried simulated payloads for at least one mile, transporting packages of up to 10 pounds, according to MassDOT.
Dan O’Toole, the CEO of Indiana-based company Arrive AI, partnered with MassDOT on case studies and was able to deliver medical supplies using drones to locations in Lynn.
“Everyone gets multiple deliveries from different deals every single day. So somebody to coordinate all that, that’s what you need, that’s where we are,” said O’Toole, talking about Arrive AI’s role in the study. “For every 1% of deliveries that are made to an arrive point, that takes 3,000 trucks off the road here in the U.S.”
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Draganfly said they are grateful to participate in the Drone Medical Delivery Pilot and said it was a testament to its capabilities, reputation, and dedication to providing solutions that empower global organizations, to save time, money and lives.
“Our drone technology has the potential to revolutionize the delivery of medical supplies, providing timely and cost-effective solutions for home-based healthcare and emergency responses,” said Cameron Chell, President and CEO of Draganfly. “This collaboration with MassDOT Aeronautics underscores our credibility and commitment to advancing public safety and healthcare through innovative drone solutions.”
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Drone delivery is not a new concept as Amazon, DHL and FedEx have used the technology for package deliveries in recent years.
Amazon said packages weighing up to five pounds have been delivered by drone in College Station, Texas, and parts of Phoenix, Arizona.
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