zipline uses drones to deliver necessary medical needs in minutes across rwanda

zipline uses drones to deliver necessary medical needs in minutes across rwanda
all images courtesy of zipline

zipline is a small tech company who want to help two billion people with horrible access to essential medical products, often due to challenging terrain and gaps in infrastructure. they’ve centered their service around a small robot airplane that can carry vaccines, medicine or blood with the same approach as commercial airliners. health workers simply place an order by text message, and within minutes a ‘zip’ drone is prepared and launched into the sky.

video courtesy of the associated press

racing along at 100 km/h, it arrives faster than any other available mode of transportation. the medical products are then dropped off, landing gently and accurately at the health facility in an open area.

the ‘zip’ drone dropping medical packages

zipline, in partnership with the government of rwanda, will deliver blood for twenty hospitals and health centers starting this summer. with zip’s unprecedented range, national-scale coverage is achievable from a single home base. 

the flight path of the ‘zip’ 

the final construction 

a catapult launches the drone

the service radius in use in rwanda