LieferMichel drone project to deliver medicines

The Wingcopter-led LieferMichel project has announced that it will now deliver medicines by drone. This service will be provided in collaboration with the Bären-Apotheke pharmacy.

The drone logistics project being conducted Wingcopter in collaboration with the Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences. It allows residents of Rehbach and Würzberg, in the German state of Hesse, to purchase products online and have them flown to fixed landing sites outside their villages.

During the initial launch, the LieferMichel primarily delivered groceries, but the drones will now be able to deliver non-prescription pharmaceuticals to residents following an extension to the program’s trial period.

The initiative was initially only intended to run on a trial basis between October and the end of 2023 – however, this has now been extended until the end of March due to demand. Since launch, LieferMichel’s drones have flown over 2,000km.

Pursuing the main project objectives

Wingcopter also stated that the recent extension of operations will allow them to “pursue the main project objectives over a longer period of time”.

These objectives include “the implementation of safe drone flight operations in unrestricted airspace, including over the winter months”, as well as “the analysis of demand for delivery services in rural areas”.

“Here in rural areas, the long distances often make it difficult for sick people to get their medication quickly,” said Frank Buffleb, Pharmacist and Owner of Bären Apotheke in Erbach. “We are therefore very pleased to be gaining initial experience with drone-based deliveries as part of the LieferMichel project.”

Wingcopter was named the 2023 winner of the Gründerszene Award for German startup companies last month.