UPS has created a new subsidiary called UPS Flight Forward that will start using drones for delivering lab samples between buildings on hospital campuses, according to an article on the CNet website,
Currently, those samples can take three to four hours to arrive by ground couriers, but the drones cut that time down to minutes, according to UPS.
Hospitals will pay it for this service, which it expects will be much faster and eventually cheaper than current couriers.
The program has already been launched at WakeMed's flagship hospital campus in Raleigh, North Carolina, and UPS plans to expand the service across the US to other major hospitals.
At WakeMed, about 10 drone flights take place every day.
Wider View: Planning LED Upgrades Across a Healthcare Portfolio
Cone Health Plans Hospital in Forsyth County of North Carolina
Carvel Autism Health to Open New Therapy Clinic in Altoona, Iowa
Cleanliness in Hospitals: Clinical Priority and Community Perception
Dana-Farber Receives $50M Gift for Planned Cancer Hospital