Survey! What do you think of a medical drone delivery network for Scotland?

Project CAELUS (Care and Equity UAS Logistics Scotland) is a research project part-funded by Innovate UK Future Flight Challenge, led by AGS Airports and with the support of the NHS in Scotland.

We are exploring how to introduce a drone network that would help ensure the efficient delivery of critical blood products, medicines, lab tests, medical supplies, reduce waiting times for test results and, more importantly, provide more equal care between urban and remote rural communities. 

Please watch the video below to learn more.

The drones used for the flight demonstrations are called EVTOL (Electrical Vertical Take-off and Landing).These EVTOL weigh less than 25 kg and can carry around 2-4kg. See below the type of drone that will be used during the flight demonstrations in Scotland:

Photo by/for Skyports

We will also seek demonstrate the use of larger drones with a much larger carrying capacity  that take-off and land on an airstrip at an airport, like a conventional aircraft.

You can also read more about drones and the project in our FAQ section.

First let us know if you've ever heard of such a project and what you think about it.

Let's explore the potential benefits of using drones to improve patient care.

"We want to test if using drones will improve important aspects of our logistics service, for example, to test the transportation of laboratory samples, blood products, chemotherapy, and medicine delivery. Ultimately, we want to explore if drone technology can speed up diagnosis and treatment of medical problems. This has the potential to improve services for those whose care is dependent on rail, ferry or airline timetables and help keep people at home where they can be supported by families and loved ones." 

- Healthcare Program Lead for Innovation

Please share your views on using drones to improve patient care by answering the questions below.

Remember to scroll down the page to view it all, especially if you are on a mobile phone!

A medical drone network could help healthcare providers and medical professionals in their day job: gains in time, in flexibility, in efficiency. 

It could also deliver other societal benefits, like reduction in CO2 emissions, innovation and job creations. 

The drone network could be used to support applications outside of medical logistics.

Drone operations are regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in the UK,   just like any other airspace users, like conventional aviation.

The CAA's top priority is safety, and drone flights require prior approval. 

If you would like to know more about regulations applicable to drones, please refer to the CAA website, or read our FAQs.

We have identified how a network of aerial drones could transform how medical supplies are transported in Scotland and beyond. 

We are also aware of the challenges that medical drone deliveries could pose, for example:

• Noise pollution: perception that the noise is different, or loud, or annoying, or too frequent
• Visual pollution: perception that the visual impact of drones is too visible, or too frequent
• Flight safety: risk of a crash in the air or on the ground
• Privacy concerns: collection of photos or private data using the cameras mounted on drones
• Security issues: the misuse of drones by malicious people, or simply drone pilots flying in the wrong place by mistake
• Identification of medical drones: to separate them from other unknown drones
• Job losses, for example in conventional modes of transport
• Impact on the environment: global impact not only of electric motors, but also looking at production and lithium batteries 
• Yet another piece of technology in our lives: the concern that we do more and more activities via a smartphone or a piece of technology that we do not always fully understand or master.

Help us identify the biggest challenges or roadblocks we should focus on by answering the questions below.

Let's discuss noise 

Thank you for your feedback! 

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