Medical Supply Delivery Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

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The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) supports innovation and new technology development through its Applied Research and Innovation Services department (ARIS) and its Centre for Innovation and Research in Unmanned Systems (CIRUS). This cross-disciplinary environment addresses challenges, creates efficiencies, and develops and tests new, innovative products and applications to satisfy corporate business needs and the societal needs of all Canadians.The Medical Delivery Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles project will develop a roadmap for Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS)-based medical delivery operations with a focus on and incorporation of the Nakoda (Stoney), Eden Valley and Big Horn First Nation communities. SAIT will use its Swiss Drone SDO50, a remotely piloted state of the art helicopter with 45 kg payload capacity, a range of more than 300 kilometers and a Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) fixed wing RPA to complete the project. At the conclusion of this project, it will transition into a fully operational RPAS-based medical delivery program for any First Nation community in Alberta, in Canada, or international setting to support optimal healthcare for those in remote communities.Establishing a partnership with Stoney Nakoda Nation and the Ward of the 21st Century (W21C), a healthcare systems research and innovation initiative based at the University of Calgary's O'Brien Institute for Public Health, researchers at SAIT and the team will test and develop methodology for the utilization of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) to deliver medical supplies and live non-infectious viral loads to and from First Nation Communities and to the Provincial Laboratory (Provlab). SAIT is well-positioned to support societal needs and explicitly assist vulnerable populations. Assistance in maintaining an adequate chain of medical supplies and distribution is paramount, made even more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is extremely applicable to remote First Nation communities.