It may be years, if ever, before drones are delivering Amazon.com products to people’s doorsteps. But they’ve already been successfully field-tested when it comes to delivering crucially needed medical supplies.
Andreas Raptopoulos recently gave a TED talk in which he discussed how he and his colleagues at Matternet engaged in field trials in Haiti of the Silcon Valley-based company's drones. One of the most interesting uses during the September 2012 trials involved delivering medications to camps set up after the 2010 earthquake on the island.
Matternet also ran a field test in the Dominican Republic, flying supplies and diagnostic tools to small healthcare centers in remote areas.
Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos is meanwhile getting both attention, and some guff, over his recent 60 Minutes interview with Charlie Rose, in which he touted how "octocopter" drones could deliver packages to customers within 30 minutes of an order. Bezos said it should take a few more years to further develop the technology and gain Federal Aviation Administration approval for what he is calling the Prime Air service.
Dan Lyons on HubSpot points out that Bezos appeared on 60 Minutes the day before the Cyber Monday online holiday shopping heyday, and that showing off the drone could have been a form of damage control:
"Bezos and Amazon are still reeling from the recent publication of a not entirely flattering book by Businessweek reporter Brad Stone. The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon portrays Bezos as a ruthless tyrant."
No matter whether Amazon's drone delivery plans become a reality, Matternet's work demonstrates that drones are already showing potential use in the medical devices field. If they can deliver needed medical supplies in Haiti, why can't they be used in the United States or elsewhere in the world?
