Apian - drone deliveries to help the fight against COVID-19
by Startacus Admin
Apian is a London-based startup that has created a drone-based delivery system for COVID-19 samples, test-kits, and PPE...
During the COVID-19 pandemic, people have been coming up with all sorts of ways to help others affected in some way by it, whether it’s supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs or simple drone delivery of sweets at Halloween in our own Derry.
It would go without saying, if it weren’t important to do so, that the NHS have done an excellent and unenviable job, putting themselves in harm’s way and having to move away from their own families in order to treat COVID patients. Now, two NHS doctors in training have gone further again and founded a business to get testing kits, samples, and personal protective equipment to people quicker and more safely.
London-based startup Apian has created a drone-based delivery system for those COVID-19 samples, test-kits, and PPE, rather than creating unnecessary risk to NHS staff and others through close contact.
Apian is establishing a network of secure air corridors for their electric drones to operate, based at Broomfield Hospital in Essex, where it will be supported by the local Anglia Ruskin University as the academic partner. This method, navigated by GPS, not only frees up NHS staff, but it circumvents wait times for couriers, traffic congestion, and some of the pollution caused by NHS transportation (which Apian says accounts for 5% of all UK road transport emissions).
Of course, this drone delivery system will be of great benefit beyond COVID-19, delivering medicine, blood packs, equipment, and anything a drone can safely carry. Working closely with the Civil Aviation Authority, UK Space Agency, and the emergency services, Apian is building not only a secure NHS Air Grid, but also the infrastructure to support it - namely landing pads on hospital, lab, and warehouse rooftops.
In October, the UK Space Agency announced that it was backing Apian in this endeavour as part of an ongoing effort to support space-related startups (GPS in Apian’s case) making a difference in areas affected by COVID-19.
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Published on: 16th November 2020
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