Energy is high: Research firm Global Market Insights forecasts the medical drones market, valued at $88 million in 2018, will hit $399 million by 2025.
“It’s in this area now where things have converged to make drones fast and cheap, and they meet an important unmet need in many parts of the world,” Kraft says, noting that the devices can handle obstacles such as mountain ranges and road closures.
The Technology Is Proving to Be Ready for Action in Healthcare
In Nevada, drone maker Flirtey is working with the state’s Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority on a plan to deliver defibrillators after certain 911 calls are placed. Dispatchers could offer instructions for use via phone.
The drones, each about the size of a large laptop, one day could bring other items to underserved areas, says Adam Heinz, the authority’s executive director of integrated health.
“Maybe you just need a drone with a pack of antibiotics,” Heinz says, “or a drone that has the ability to provide a telemedicine device that can be looped into our communication center where a physician or provider is standing by so they can treat you right in the comfort of your own home.”
WakeMed Health & Hospitals in Raleigh, N.C., is using the Matternet M2 drone system in partnership with the UPS Flight Forward delivery program to conduct hourly runs of blood samples from a large outpatient surgery center to a lab at its flagship hospital about two-thirds of a mile away.