As a part of the HealthDrone project, this is one of the use-cases within the healthcare sector, where drones can make a huge difference in the future. This project takes place on a route between Ærø hospital and Svendborg Hospital and will happen during the first two quarters of 2022. Here we will, in collaboration with all the HealthDrone partners, pave the way for using freight drones for better mobility solutions. 

The route is approximately 55 kilometers, where the drone will be flying in non-segregated airspace. This means that the route is integrated with U-Space and will have to interfere with other air traffic such as helicopters and flights. The route will be operated from our control room at our Headquarter in Copenhagen, but there will also be pilots on site.  It will take the drone around 35 minutes to fly this trip.

This route is one of the most complex routes in all of Europe because this route is implementing some of the first U-space functions.  This is done in collaboration with U-space Funen. Flying in non-segregated airspace will contribute to the mobility solutions of the future in the air. All of this is possible thanks to the intensive work done at our test program at Odense University Hospital where we tested the first version of the Detect And Avoid system. 

The route will cover two urban environments, an environmental protection zone, two airfields and a helipad. This means that there are many things to be taken into consideration, but we have obtained all approvals for these flights. 

The drone 

We will be flying with the Eiger eVTOL from Rigi Technologies, as shown in the picture above. The drone has a payload capacity of up to 3 kg which means it is able to carry on minor relevant hospital supplies, blood samples, medicine etc. between the two hospitals. This is a huge milestone and can possibly change the healthcare sector in the future. 

Eiger has a range of more than 80km, which means it under different circumstances, depending on weather conditions etc. can be in the air for that long. The drone will have a cruise speed of 28m/s (100km/t) and a maximum speed of 35 m/s (126km/t)