It’s now been a decade since the first commercially successful consumer drone entered the marketplace. Since then, the technology has improved considerably and drones are more reliable than ever before. In addition, federal regulation has begun to catch up with the technology, making it possible for delivery drones to enter the airspace. One of the latest companies to experiment with the possibilities of drone delivery services is CVS, which recently introduced prescription medication delivery via drones.
The Pilot Program
The pilot program was executed by a subsidiary of UPS, UPS Flight Forward Inc. On November 1, 2019, the M2 drone system developed by UPS partner Matternet successfully made the first delivery of a prescription medication to a private home. A CVS customer residing in that home has limited mobility, which makes it challenging for them to travel to a CVS store to pick up medications. A second delivery was then made to another actual customer in a retirement home.
The Logistics
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the test flights in advance. A CVS store in Cary, North Carolina was the point of origination for the drone flights. The drones were pre-
programmed and they flew autonomously. However, a remote operator monitored each flight, ready to intervene if problems developed. Once the drone reached its destination, it hovered about 20 feet above the property. Then, the packages were carefully lowered to the ground via a cable and a winch. A CVS spokesperson noted that the company sees great potential in the use of drone delivery services for rural areas in particular, where consumers may not have convenient access to a CVS store.
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