UPS is going to use drones to deliver life-saving resources faster to people in need in remote areas. To do so, it has joined forces with robotics company Zipline and Gavi, an organisation that aims to make vaccines accessible worldwide.
According to UPS, it is still too common now that crucial life-saving resources do not reach people in need in time because areas are too remote. The collaboration between three partners and the deployment of drones should change this.
The UPS foundation has now awarded an $800 thousand grant for the initial launch of the programme in Rwanda. Here it will initially focus on blood delivery, then vaccinations, drugs for HIV, AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. The drone delivery system in Rwanda is expected to serve as a model for other countries in the coming years.
Delivery information for UPS
Zipline's drones are specially designed for medicine delivery. They can fly in almost any weather, deliver 20 times faster than cars and they do not need to land to deliver the package. In fact, the parcels are delivered with small parachutes. In this way, UPS can gather a lot of practical information about deliveries. Due to strict regulations in the United States, it is more difficult to use drones there.
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