RigiTech, in collaboration with Rocketmine, one of the largest and most experienced drone operators in Africa, has laid the foundations for on-demand healthcare logistics in South Africa
RigiTech, the Swiss drone logistics company in collaboration with Rocketmine, one of the largest and most experienced drone operators in Africa has successfully completed a demo in South Africa.
Healthcare deliveries are becoming increasingly important as they grant communities better access to medication, blood or medical equipment in under time- sensitive situations. This partnership seeks to implement drone delivery networks to positively impact people’s lives.
In a joint demonstration near Johannesburg, South Africa, RigiTech delivery drones supervised by Rocketmine drone operators ferried samples between two locations fully autonomously. The event took place in March 2021 in front of regional healthcare professionals, directors of South African diagnostic laboratories, hospitals and blood logistics services.
A complete aerial medical logistics solution was put to test – RigiTech’s Minto drones and operators from both teams demonstrated safe deliveries multiple times. These demonstration flights illustrated how the technological components of hardware, software, regulations and operations were implemented bringing to life the concept of a drone health logistics service.
Time also plays a major role as it is one of the biggest advantages of drone delivery. Attendees were able to experience how simple and fast it was to request deliveries on-demand through a purpose-built mobile application, connected directly to the live inventory of the supply warehouse. Depending on the route and available infrastructure, drone-based delivery can cut delivery times and costs by a factor of 10 compared to traditional transportation methods.
Live data on the flight’s progress, sent from our RigiCloud software to Rocketmine’s monitoring system through a secure API directly in the cloud, allowed for a smooth and reliable operation.
Drone delivery is not just about the drone; it involves a close connection between the vehicle, the software controlling the fleet, airspace integration, regulatory approval and local maintenance. This partnership will assure synergy between RigiTech’s drones and software with the complexities of regulatory approval and local operation managed by Rocketmine. The RigiCloud, the operations side in charge of all regulatory procedures and local maintenance are part of this integrated solution that made this operation possible.
“This solution yields unimaginable value for South Africa’s medical logistics chain and beyond,”
said Chris Clark CEO at Delta Drone International (Parent to Rocketmine).
