Vayu Drone Delivers Blood, Stool Samples from Patients in Remote Madagascar Villages

Only a few years ago flying drones were associated with dropping bombs.

Now thanks to a company called Vayu, a drone designed to help bring medical care to remote places was successfully used to deliver clinical blood and stool samples from rural villages in Madagascar to a central laboratory for testing. There were numerous flights conducted to prove the viability of using the technology on a regular basis over hilly terrain.

The Vayu drone takes off vertically, but flies horizontally, having combined characteristics of a quadcopter and a fixed wing airplane. It requires no runway and is designed to be fully autonomous once its destination is entered, landing on parking lots, roofs, and any other flat surface. It is capable of hauling 4.5 lbs (2 Kg) for approximately 40 miles (60 Km) and there’s already work underway to extend the range closer to 60 miles (100 Km).

While it was used to send samples to the clinic, it can certainly bring back blood, drugs, and other light medical supplies on the way back.