UK tests use of drones to deliver supplies to hospitals

The UK has started using drones to provide medical supplies to hospitals, as much of the travel ends in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.

Unmanned aerial drones have been used to deliver medical supplies to isolated communities. Authorities running the program say air deliveries can reduce costs and time to transport vital medical supplies, especially to hospitals that are particularly hard to reach.

On Saturday, a drone the size of a car with pathology samples took off from an airport on the south coast of England and landed ten minutes later 12 kilometers away, on an airfield of the Isle of Wight. Most of the flight was automated. The team stepped in to make the landing a success, although the plan is also to automate this.

Medical supplies on the Isle of Wight are currently delivered by passenger ferry or cargo, which takes about an hour, or by pilot plane, which is expensive. Ferry crossings have recently been reduced to prevent the spread of the virus.

"There are a lot of areas in the UK that have very bad logistics connections, and this plane is one solution for that. It carries a very heavy burden, and we are actually an island nation: we have many small communities where something like that could connect. economical and efficient, "said project participant Professor James Scanlan.

The United Kingdom is the most affected country in Europe with more than 40,000 deaths from coronavirus. It has been blocked since March 23. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a gradual reduction in blockade measures this week on Sunday.