ÖAMTC air rescue: Drones for medical transport

Drones have long outgrown the toy stage. Due to their wide range of possible uses, it is obvious that they should also be used in the medical field.

"Fully in line with our vision of continuously developing emergency rescue and helping to shape the future of healthcare, we have been dealing with this topic intensively for some time," says Reinhard Kraxner, Managing Director of ÖAMTC Air Rescue. "The idea is to supply medical infrastructure facilities with priority cargo - blood supplies, rare medicines, equipment, laboratory samples - quickly and inexpensively in the future." Together with the Lower Austrian startup APELEON, the Lower Austrian state health agency, Notruf NÖ and with the support of the ecoplus platform for health technology, the ÖAMTC air rescue service is working intensively on the implementation of the idea of ​​a medical drone service in Austria. The first test flights are to be carried out as early as next year.

A drone designed and developed by APELEON in Lower Austria is to be used for the transport flights. "The purely electrically operated aircraft takes off vertically like a helicopter and as soon as it is at altitude, it continues its flight horizontally like an airplane," explains Andreas Fürlinger, mastermind of APELEON. "In the future, up to ten kilograms can be safely transported in a special cargo hold that is suitable for the transport of medical goods." Transportation using drones is not only faster, but also safer, cleaner and more sustainable than on the road. Added to this is the increasing specialization of hospitals and laboratories, which is also becoming a logistical challenge. “For us in the Lower Austrian State Health Agency, the best possible care and support for our patients and residents always comes first. For this it is necessary that we continue to develop, and that is why we are particularly pleased to be part of this innovative project," says Alfred Zens, CEO of the Lower Austrian State Health Agency.

The first test flights are scheduled for 2023 and will primarily serve to test this new form of healthcare logistics in detail. "Together with those involved in the project, we want to learn how we can organize the logistics of healthcare even better and adapt it to future requirements," says Christof Constantin Chwojka, CEO of Notruf NÖ. "This is the only way to create a secure drone network." However, it will still be a while before that happens. Because it is also about safely integrating unmanned aircraft into other air traffic. This will be done in close coordination with the national flight control authority AustroControl.