CRI drones for the transport of urgent drugs, project starts from Sicily

Delivery drones for the transport of urgent medical material able to reach remote islands and places in a very short time. This is the initiative put in place by the Italian Red Cross which will be able to count on a fleet of 20 vehicles, capable of carrying up to 15 kilos in weight, and on 50 highly trained pilots. “These vehicles will reach in a very short time remote places, hit by natural disasters or difficult to reach and will be used above all for the delivery of life-saving drugs, blood or tampons”, explain from Cri. An initiative that started a few weeks ago from Sicily. A first test, in fact, allowed the transport of medicines to the Gnv Aurelia, one of the quarantine ships located along the coast of the island for the reception of migrants. The CRI pilots, giving life to a simulation, raised a delivery drone to a height of 40 meters from the ground that from the dock of the port of Trapani transported urgent medicines to the boat. Health surveillance on board quarantine ships is an activity that CRI has been carrying out since April last year, also thanks to the support of the Sicilian Regional Committee of the association. Trapani and the Port Authority, which employed two patrol boats to guarantee the safety of the exercise, saw the drone arrive at its destination in five minutes and thirty seconds, against the 35 normally used by sea transport with medium-sized boats. The delivery drone was controlled from the ground by a pilot, who always maintained eye contact and was assisted by other trained personnel on board the ship, always in constant radio contact. The Red Cross is not new to emergency and rescue operations using these technologies and has trained personnel through its Drones unit, Sapr (Remotely Piloted Aircraft System). All pilots are trained at the Sapr Cri National Training Center.