Zipline Drones Start Delivering Medicine in Utah

pcmag.com:

Zipline and Intermountain Healthcare teamed up to begin delivering prescriptions and medical products to patients in the Salt Lake Valley area of Utah using drones.

The partnership(Opens in a new window) aims to make healthcare more accessible, convenient, and eco-friendly by offering virtual care and direct drop-offs.

Select Intermountain Healthcare customers—starting with local communities within a few miles of the Zipline distribution center—can sign up(Opens in a new window) to use the service and place orders.

"Think back to the last time you had a doctor's visit and then had to trek to the pharmacy for your prescription, making what can already be a time-consuming experience that much more draining," Bijal Mehta, head of Zipline's global fulfillment operations, said in a statement. "We believe instant delivery is a key element to the future of healthcare and we are excited to bring our service to the Salt Lake City area to make people's lives better, easier, and healthier."

Zipline's on-demand logistics and delivery system comprises a fleet of small, fixed-wing, fully autonomous aircraft that use parachutes to release packages into an area about the size of two parking spaces. Its drones can fly up to a 50-mile radius in most weather conditions (including rain, wind, and extreme temperatures), producing minimal sound and about 30 times less CO2 emissions per mile than an average electric vehicle, the company boasted.

Over the next five years, Zipline and Intermountain Healthcare plan to add new distribution centers, households, and community drop-off locations, with the aim of delivering to approximately 90% of patient homes in the Salt Lake Valley area and beyond.

"This partnership allows us to reach patients