This study, led by the research and innovation department, the territorial institute of biology-health and the INNOVABIO biological resource center of the University Hospital, in collaboration with the company Delivrone, aims to evaluate the feasibility, in real conditions, of the mode of transport by drone while making a comparison with the reference transport (pedestrian).
Two experiments (a 20-minute flight and a 40-minute flight) were conducted on the same day, each using the same methodology. After blood was collected from approximately thirty volunteers, the samples were transported on foot to the flight site. Once there, half of the samples (according to a random list predetermined by the study's methodologist) were transported by drone within a specific timeframe, while the other half were transported on foot over the same period.
The comparative analysis of the two families of samples will focus on the quality of a varied panel of medical biology tests (biochemistry, hematology and hemostasis), on the safety of people (potentially infectious samples), on the control of the delivery time and on the transport temperature (15-25 °C).
The flight is supervised by a remote pilot throughout the journey. The drone can fly at a height of 120m over a distance of 100km and at a maximum speed of 150 km/h while respecting the required clinical conditions (temperature, specific packaging, confidentiality, etc.).
