Skye Air Mobility, Redcliffe Labs partner to pick diagnostic samples via drones

Skye Air Mobility has joined hands with Redcliffe Labs for faster supply chain for sample collection to cater to urban, semi-urban and remote corners of the country using drone delivery technology. 

The homegrown drone delivery logistics provider will initially be conducting BVLOS delivery trials in a select corridor and subsequently in other urban and remote locations in the country. BVLOS is where drones are operated remotely and travel beyond the normal visible range of the pilot. 

Swapnik Jakkampudi, Co-Founder, Skye Air Mobility, said, “Given the experience and operational efficiency we carry, we are set to operate regular delivery flights between hub and spoke to ensure faster, efficient and cost-effective deliveries of diagnostic samples and other healthcare items. This will enable a connected, automated and faster logistics for Redcliffe Labs.”  

Skye Air Mobility claims that around 30-40 test flights will be conducted from Redcliffe Lab’s National Reference Lab in Noida from mid-February onwards. The engagement shall also involve deploying drones in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, J&K and North Eastern states. 

“This step is strategic in terms of achieving reduced turnaround time along with serving patients even in the remotest parts of the country. We foresee this as a breakthrough in the Indian healthcare delivery system and are looking forward to the benefits that this association will bring along,” said Dheeraj Jain, Founder, Redcliffe Labs.    

Similarly, ‘The ePlane Company’ (legally registered as Ubifly Technologies), a startup incubated at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras in April 2017, is also developing a product on similar lines called ‘e200’. To be available for both passenger and cargo applications, the upcoming product will deployed for time sensitive travel, like airport shuttles, air ambulances, etc.