Drone company to deliver medical supplies on West Coast and use Christchurch to test urban networks – Stuff

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Swoop Aero Oceania manager Richard Adams with a drone taking part in a demonstration flight at Leithfield beach.

An international drone company is using Christchurch to test its concept of an urban delivery network and will begin delivering medical supplies by drone on the West Coast in the next few months.

Swoop Aero has partnered with Christchurch NZs urban development team to test a network that includes autonomous docking stations for a fleet of drones.

The companys Oceania manager Richard Adams said it planned to spend several months developing the concept before considering a physical operation.

Swoop Aero already utilises drones to provide medical services across rural areas in the United Kingdom, Australia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique and Malawi, such as delivering vaccines and Panadol, and collecting pathology and blood samples.

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Drone footage captured in December 2020 reveals the state of the interior of the quake-damaged Christ Church Cathedral.

It has operated in some towns in Africa but the Christchurch programme will be the first time it has considered operating in a fully urban environment.

Operations in cities need to consider hazards such as helicopters and international airports, along with risks such as people and buildings.

We need to look for the best routes to fly. Is that directly over houses, following train tracks or motorways? Adams said.

Christchurch was chosen because of its forward-looking urban design as the city rebuilt after the 2011 earthquake, allowing drones to be integrated into future planning rather than being an add-on to an already established network.

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The project will consider utilising existing tracks around the Christchurch as potential routes.

The drone concept plan for Christchurch should be completed this year, and Swoop Aero, an Australian company, will then be able to consider a timeline for making the project a reality.

It hopes to expand beyond medical supplies to potentially include courier parcels, he said.

The companys current drones carry weights of up to three kilograms, but a new model would be in service before the end of the year carrying up to 5kg.

By the time a drone delivery service could potentially become a reality in Christchurch it could be carrying heavier loads, he said.

Ross Setford/NZPA

The West Coast District Health Board is planning to use drones to carry medical supplies between Greymouth and Westport.

The West Coast would likely be its first New Zealand base, with the transportation of medical supplies between Greymouth and Westport starting in three or four months.

Adams is working with the West Coast District Health Board, the Grey and Buller District Councils, on the project.

The company is seeking approval from the Civil Aviation Authority and will then engage with affected communities and aviators.

Concerns around privacy are often raised, Adams said, but the drones have only small and very low-resolution cameras to locate QR codes at destinations, and do not record images while carrying out logistical work.

Other versions of the drones used for search and rescue work and mapping have cameras attached, he said.

Swoop Aero is working with the Ministry of Business Innovation and Enterprise and other drone operators on a programme to integrate uncrewed aircraft into New Zealands airspace.

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Kaitrete Spit, near Christchurch, could be developed into a space rocket launch site.

It is also part of Project Twhaki, a joint venture between the Crown and Kaitrete Ltd, which owns 1000 hectares of land on the Kaitrete Spit, near Christchurch.

The joint venture will develop aerospace research and development facilities at the site, including a possible launch facility.

Swoop Aeros chief executive Eric Peck said the companys goal was to provide a service accessible to 100 million people by 2025.

Since 2017, it has completed over 13,000 beyond visual line of sight flights, safely delivering over 700,000 items worldwide.

Health Promotions Vanuatu

Drones have been used to deliver vaccines to remote island communities in Vanuatu.

In 2018 Swoop Aero became the first company globally to deliver a vaccine via a commercial drone operation, in Vanuatu.

That project helped increase child immunisation rates across the country by providing access to remote island communities.

Cath Carter, ChristchurchNZ's general manager of urban development, said the aerospace and future transport sector had a current global value of $360 billion.

It is estimated to be a $2.7 trillion industry by 2050.

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Drone company to deliver medical supplies on West Coast and use Christchurch to test urban networks - Stuff