Drones will soon begin delivering blood and other medical supplies to rural parts of the U.S. A company called Zipline, based in California, currently uses small robotic aircraft to transport these items to remote areas in Africa. Now the company is working with the U.S. government to do the same in Maryland, Nevada, and Washington.
In Rwanda, a mountainous country in Central Africa, poor roads make it difficult to transport blood, vaccines, and medicine. But with drones, medical workers can receive deliveries of these supplies within 30 minutes.
Zipline’s drones can fly up to 70 kilometers (43 miles) each way from their takeoff site and release their cargo via a parachute. “Each delivery we make has the potential to save someone’s life,” says co-founder Ryan Oksenhorn.