Drone company Flirtey demonstrated its capability for drones to deliver medical supplies in a ship-to-shore mission in New Jersey on Wednesday, June 22, according to the AP.
The drones carried simulated blood and other examples of medical necessities from an onshore medical relief camp in Cape May, N.J. to a floating platform in the Delaware Bay. Flirtey is based in Reno, Nev. They have flown similar tests before, with the first demonstrated in Nevada in March.
Advantages of the drone program as opposed to medical relief trucks during an emergency situation include the smooth flight and ability to cross uneven ground or bodies of water.
The test was designed to replicate drone operations in an area that had suffered damage to both its infrastructure and its communication networks, such as an earthquake or major storm.
Timothy Amukele, an assistant professor of pathology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore and a volunteer consultant for Flirtey, said that he thinks it could be about five years before both drone technology itself as well as national regulations are ready for regular use of drones in emergency medical situations.