Aerial Medical Delivery in Traverse City
Drones for delivery of medical supplies and other critical healthcare services, movement of critical parts or goods to support supply chain resilience and improve patient outcomes.
Advanced Aerial Mobility in Northern Michigan:
Northern Michigan is a future hub of advanced aerial mobility thanks to research and identification conducted by the Michigan Department of Transportation.
- Why Traverse City?
- Varied use cases of land and maritime public safety
- Rural package delivery
- Infrastructure that already exists in the region
- Northwestern Michigan College Unpiloted Aerial Systems program
- Northern Michigan can be a test bed for innovation to benefit our region. “Transformation of ideas into tangible solutions to solve real problems”
Advanced Aerial Mobility & Medical Delivery:
The drones being used in this project are all electric drones made by Blueflite in southern Michigan.
- The benefits of drones for delivery and transport are:
- Cost savings
- Speed of drones compared to autos/trucks that must navigate current road infrastructure or when expanded places that are outside of traditional supply chain routes
- Electric-generated power
- Quad independent tilt rotor make the drones nimble and able to precisely navigate around an urban area
- Medical drones minimize human touchpoints and bypass road-based transportation challenges
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- Higher patient care quality and efficiency
- Swift access to critical supplies
- Reach under-served communities and virtual-care patients
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Aerial Medical Delivery in Traverse City
Information Session Recorded 10.16.24
Traverse Connect, Munson Healthcare, DroneUp, blueflite, and Central Michigan University’s Rural Health Equity Institute presented an information session on an upcoming aerial medical delivery project.
FAQ
Traverse Connect received a grant from the AAM Activation Fund, a collaborative effort between the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME) and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) which aims to increase coordination across State entities and create a centralized pipeline of projects that can accelerate AAM readiness and growth in the state.
Traverse Connect, in partnership with Munson Healthcare, DroneUp, blueflite, Northwestern Michigan College, Central Michigan University’s Rural Health Equity Institute, and Freshwater Research Innovation Center will test and scale the use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for use cases including delivery of medical supplies and other critical healthcare services to improve rural health outcomes. They will also test drones for use cases including marine surveying, water sampling and testing, bathymetric mapping, and emergency response support around the Lake Michigan area.
DroneUp is an American technology company focusing on commercial drone services based in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Founded in 2018, blueflite offers a drone-based logistics platform for faster and more cost-effective deliveries. The patented, unique, and all-electrical drone design has vertical take-off and landing capabilities, advanced maneuverability, and is built without compromise – to meet the rigorous demands of commercial operations.
- DroneUp works closely with the FAA to ensure that we are compliant with all local rules and regulations. Every pilot is FAA certified and goes through in-depth training at a dedicated facility in Virginia. Our highly advanced flight software chooses flight routes that avoid heavily populated areas, sidewalks, and roads when possible. DroneUp uses the latest technology with multiple areas of redundancies to add to the level and safety.
- Their systems use ADS-B along with parachute systems. Their drones do not land; when they arrive at the destination, they lower to 80 feet and, using a tether, safely and gently bring the package to the ground.
We understand that this is a new technology, and our partners looked at the best way to minimize sound so communities get all the benefits without noise disturbances. En route to the delivery location, the drones fly at an altitude of anywhere between 160-300 ft. At that height, the noise decibel level is ambient. When the drone reaches its destination, it lowers its altitude to 80 feet to safely use the tether to deliver the package. At 80 feet, noise decibel level of the drone is lower than that of a local delivery truck.
We understand that there might be some questions about cameras and how they are used in DroneUp’s system. The drones use a low-res camera that sends a live feed to its’ pilots to help with operational safety. Nothing is recorded, and the cameras cannot zoom in or choose specific areas to focus on. They help make sure a delivery arrives safe and sound.
They will carry packages containing simulated laboratory samples and medical supplies of up to 10 lbs.
The deliveries could likely be conducted between Munson offices and facilities in Traverse City, Garfield Township, and East Bay Township.
- Investment by government, private corporations, and other entities in improved health outcomes
- Future carbon-free mobility solutions
- Opportunities for small business, education, and career opportunities for those in the Grand Traverse region
- Attention from other communities and businesses in the sector that may not be familiar with the region or Munson Healthcare that could offer valuable partnerships, investment, and resources