Drones that deliver drugs arrive in the sky of the Venetian islands of Sant'Erasmo and Vignole.
The start of an experimental program has just been announced which will see a small squadron of drones in flight equipped with machines used to distribute medicines to chronically ill people on two Venetian islands.
The city of Venice has signed an agreement with theENAC, the National Civil Aviation Authority, as part of a broader project that aims to develop the use of intelligent urban delivery systems with unmanned aerial vehicles in the Veneto capital.
In this first phase, the project will cover a limited area of the Venice lagoon, using the Venice Civil Hospital as a hub. After the first two Venetian islands, that of Sant'Erasmo and that of Vignole, the plan is to extend the service to other Venetian islands in the lagoon and, eventually, to the entire municipality. It is not just an economic question (a saving of around 40% is estimated on the delivery of medicines in areas far from the center of Venice and not served by pharmacies) but it is also the possibility of offering many chronic patients better access to treatment.
Welcome, Radon
Radon is the name of the innovative drone created by the Dronus company. He will be the protagonist of this first test phase on the Venetian islands. Dronus is an electrically propelled, remotely piloted fixed-wing drone that flies beyond line of sight. Thanks to its unique characteristics, it has obtained the certificate of SAPR project, which allows the overflight of urban areas in Italy. Currently it is the only drone on the market in its category to have this certification.
“Drone technology is used in many ways to help people and protect the environment. With the Venice project, we aim to provide drones to the residents of Venice,” he says Marco Ballerini, CEO and founder of Dronus. “This will make their lives easier by improving the efficiency of the services they receive. Drone technology will also reduce environmental impact by using energy more efficiently and limiting the need to transport goods.”
