For the First Time Ever, Multiple Drones Operated by Single Operator
In the past few years, there have been numerous reports that drones are being developed for the delivery of food and other products such as medical supplies. This is no longer a far fetched idea. A drone company in Reno has taken the idea a step further and designed a system that allows a single operator to monitor and control multiple drones as they make deliveries. Officials in Reno recently confirmed the success of their first ever deliveries by a group of drones steered by one pilot under a program that aims to fast track regulatory approval for drones nationwide.
The City of Reno officials announced on Wednesday that drone company Flirtey recently had a successful simulation of the delivery of emergency medical supplies for cardiac arrest patients under the FAA’s watch with collaboration with its Drone Integration Pilot Program (DIPP). The DIPP is a 3-year program aimed at accelerating the safe integration of drones into the national airspace. The CEO of Flirtey, Matt Sweeney, called the program “a major milestone” which puts their company on track to gain the FAA’s approval to begin sending consumer products across the country by air as early as 2020. This will include FedEx packages as well as medical supplies and equipment. If successful, the drone delivery service will have the potential to save over 100,000 lives every year.
Reno is among the 10 cities that have been selected nationally for the drone program. The city’s partnership with Flirtey will see the delivery of external defibrillators to cardiac arrest patients. According to Hillary Scieve, the Mayor of Reno, the city’s main priority is public safety. The drones will be able to deliver much needed technology to patients fast which will reduce the number of deaths as a result of cardiac arrest in the state.
The simulation was conducted by Flirty’s new drone that is specifically designed to carry heavy payloads over longer distances. The drones will allow Flirtey to deliver medical supplies and other commercial products quicker and more efficiently. Flirtey joined forces with the city last year and partnered with other organizations such as the Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority and AirMap in order to apply for a fast track designation under the Department of Transportation and the FAA’s federal drone testing initiative. With the backing from these organizations, Flirtey received a waiver to do the multi drone tests. Once Flirtey has the drone infrastructure in place, they plan to work with more organizations to deliver medicine, food and water to disaster areas.
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