RigiTech delivers drone to Medical Drone Service
Swiss drone company RigiTech has announced the Netherlands-based Medical Drone Service as the latest operator of its Eiger uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV)
The delivery of the Eiger drone brings the Medical Drone Service’s fleet to three UAVs, and the aircraft will be used to establish new operational routes beyond the service’s initial Meppel–Zwolle corridor.
The Eiger drone offers a 3kg payload, with a specially designed medical compartment capable of carrying up to 180 blood tubes, three blood bags, or various types of medication. The drone has a range of approximately 100km, and is fitted with an onboard parachute system.
RigiTech has provided comprehensive training to staff on the usage of the Eiger platform. In the coming months, Medical Drone Service will carry out a number of testing procedures, and conduct the aircraft’s maiden flight, paving the way for operational deployment.
Medical Drone Service is a collaborative endeavor created by ANWB Medical Air Assistance and PostNL Health, with the aim of exploring the integration of drones into healthcare delivery. This includes the transportation of medical supplies, blood, medication, and diagnostic samples by drone.
The initiative is being run in partnership with healthcare institutions such as Erasmus MC; Amsterdam UMC; University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG); Isala; Sanquin; Certe; Resultlab; St Antonius; and Accureon.
Swedish medical logistics firm European Medical Drone recently ordered 11 Aero2 drones from Dufour Aerospace.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at the Voyageur Group. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.