Drug drones are a go
Emailed on October 4th, 2019 in The Friday Forward
UPS’s drone subsidiary announced this week that it was the first operator to receive a key certificate from the FAA. The approval clears the way for the parcel delivery company to start slinging packages via drone.
I know would probably be described as "the incumbent" in this situation, but it feels kinda good to see the old dog get the bone (re: Amazon).
UPS was awarded Part 135 Standard certification. This means UPS can fly an unlimited amount of drones and carry cargo weighing more than the current limit of 55 pounds, day or night (night is a big deal).
In the last six months, UPS has already booked more than 1,000 revenue-generating deliveries at a Raleigh, NC, hospital campus. At the same location last Friday, UPS became the first to fly a revenue-generating delivery “beyond visual line of sight.”
Fun fact: Malartu is HQ'd in Raleigh, NC. Raleigh's a place where we outlaw electric scooters but let robots ship 55 pound packages over your head at night.
In all seriousness, I'm excited for the positive implications this approval will have on the healthcare community and proud our little tech hub is a major contributor.