Flirtey, the US-based drone delivery specialist, and Vault Health, a company that handles Covid-19 testing, say they have successfully conducted drone deliveries of the first FDA-authorized saliva-based Covid-19 test.
The test kits were carried by one of the company’s Eagle delivery drones, which autonomously hovered and lowered the test kits using Flirtey’s delivery mechanism. As shown in the video, the delivery drone enabled safe delivery of the packages into the backyard of a residential area in Northern Nevada.
Once the packages were delivered, the local residents accessed a secure video call with a health professional to supervise their saliva sample collection for the Covid-19 test. The companies highlight that drone delivery of the test kits was faster than traditional mail, reducing the shipping process by up to 48 hours.
Flirtey founder and CEO Matthew Sweeny remarked, “Our mission is to save lives and improve lifestyles by making delivery instant for everyone. Conducting drone deliveries of at-home Covid-19 test kits with Vault Health is another huge step toward our mission.
“Flirtey has built the best-in-class drone delivery system for last-mile delivery. As we expand our testing programs, we are working closely with the FAA on Type Certification, which will enable wide-scale use of our technology for commercial and life-saving applications.”