The document goes on to outline other benefits, such as cutting out the need for human interaction, for instance when calling 9-1-1, and also the ability to arrive through the clouds and not be hampered by traffic on the local expressway.

Google isn't the only one looking into using drones to deliver medical aid. A Silicon Valley startup called Zipline has plans to begin operating a similar service for the government of Rwanda in July, according to the New York Times. Instead of equipment however, that drone system will be capable of making 50 to 150 daily deliveries of blood and emergency medicine to Rwanda’s 21 transfusing facilities, mostly in hospitals and clinics in the western half of the nation.


Perhaps paradoxically, drone deliveries are seeing faster implementation in impoverished parts of the world than advanced countries. That's because of the regulatory hurdles that can stand in the way.

Another early player in the emerging medical drones market is Matternet, which is working with groups like UNICEF and Doctors Without Borders to provide greater access to health care, according to a report by Market Watch. Matternet believes medical uses for delivery drones may sway regulators to embrace the technology as a whole.

“We believe the value of new technology is most valuable where it is clearly needed,” Oliver Evans, Matternet’s head of global business development, said. “That’s why we wanted to focus on drones delivering medicine and not delivering pizzas.”

Back to HCB News

Business Affairs Homepage