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Rolla, Missouri – A new medical drone program being tested in Missouri could help speed the delivery of critical supplies like blood and lab samples, especially in rural areas where access to care can take longer.
At a test site in Missouri, a drone company working with Missouri University of Science and Technology is testing flights designed to transport medical materials between smaller communities and larger hospital centers.
The goal is to speed the distribution of care, including blood for testing, lab samples needed for diagnoses and tissue used to help match organ donors with recipients.
“It is very essential. For example, if you do not collect the sample at 5 pm on Tuesday, if you do not arrive at that time, in another week you will be able to receive it on time,” said a drone operator involved in the project.
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A drone operator loads a medical sample onto a delivery drone during a test in Missouri, part of an effort to improve how quickly samples reach laboratories and hospitals. (OLIVIANNA CALMS DOWN)
The effort comes as access to rural health care remains a challenge across the country. More than 130 rural hospitals closed between 2010 and 2021, according to the Senate Joint Economic Committee, forcing some patients to travel an additional 20 miles to receive care, including urgent tests and procedures.
“When you look at things like speed of transplant, it’s a problem,” said David Borrok, vice provost and dean of the College of Engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology.
This chart shows more than 130 rural hospitals closed between 2010 and 2021 and patients traveling about 20 additional miles to receive care, according to the Senate Joint Economic Committee. (FOX NEWS)
The company says its drones can fly at about 100 miles per hour and are being tested along a proposed route in Missouri connecting Springfield, Rolla and the St. Louis region.
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The map shows a proposed drone delivery route connecting Springfield, Rolla and the St. Louis region as part of a Missouri medical drone testing program. (Valkyrie UAS/Fox News)
“We are partnering with American Transplant and running our test corridor from Springfield, stop in Rolla, to St. Louis,” the operator said.
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Flights are monitored in real time using live maps, weather tools and air traffic data.
Flight operators monitor a medical drone in real time using maps, weather data and air traffic tools during a test in Missouri. (OLIVIANNA CALMS DOWN)
“Right now, this is the season. This is what the pilot sees when the plane is in flight,” the operator added.
Programs like this are starting to pop up across the country, and researchers say the technology could expand how medical supplies are delivered in the future.
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“It’s really unique. And I think it could work in a lot of different ways for a lot of different people,” Borrok said.
A medical delivery drone takes off during a test flight in Missouri as part of a program aimed at speeding the transportation of laboratory samples and other health materials. (OLIVIANNA CALMS DOWN)
The team hopes to begin official flights this summer, initially focusing on transporting medical samples. Future versions of the drones are being developed to eventually transport transplant-related materials.
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A planned landing site at St. Albans would serve as the easternmost drop-off point along the current route.