Proud to be part of the team led by AGS Airports, with NHS Scotland as our champion, exploring the use of drones as a logistics network for the NHS and healthcare in Scotland.
Below is the AGS press release - could not say it in a better way.
NHS laboratory specimens delivered over Firth of Clyde by drone for first time by Project CAELUS
Drones fly between University Hospital Crosshouse and Arran -
Project CAELUS is continuing to break new ground for Scotland with drones flying laboratory samples across the Firth of Clyde for the first time.
Live flying took place between University Hospital Crosshouse in Kilmarnock to the Arran War Memorial on the Isle of Arran.
AGS Airports led the three-week trial in collaboration with 15 other consortium partners.
As the lead health board, NHS Grampian has driven the “once for Scotland” approach across the NHS to understand the role this new logistics technology could play in mitigating challenges in access to healthcare in remote and rural areas.
Work continues throughout the project using drones to rapidly transport medical supplies and diagnostic samples between mainland hospitals and remote or rural areas.
Fiona Smith, Project Director for CAELUS, said: “Project CAELUS continues to work hard and be at the cutting edge of innovation.
“Our goal is to build a national drone network that can transport essential medicines, blood, and other medical supplies efficiently, particularly for Scotland's rural and island communities.
“This technology could provide quicker diagnostic results and treatment decisions, ultimately improving patient care across the country.”
This innovation can reduce delivery times for critical healthcare materials from several hours to just 30 minutes.
The trial aims to address logistical challenges faced by remote communities such as those on the Isle of Arran, where diagnostic samples must currently be transported by road and ferry to mainland hospitals, a process that can take up to five hours. Using drone can shorten this to 30-minutes.
During the trial, use-cases, designed by NHS Scotland were tested, including simulating blood products being transferred by drone to a patient in urgent need of a medical attention.
Karen Bell, National NHS Programme Lead for CAELUS said: "NHS Grampian is pleased to be working with NHS Ayrshire and Arran and the West of Scotland Innovation Hub to further understand the benefits this technology could bring to healthcare delivery in island Communities."
Consultant Clinical Scientist Janet Hogg from the department of biochemistry in NHS Ayrshire & Arran added, “Exploring how drone technology could be usefully used as a way of delivering care to people who live in urban, remote, rural and island locations, is edging ever-closer to a reality.
“Here in Ayrshire and Arran we are well positioned to participate in this drone trial because of our vast geographical area of island and remote populations. This work has the potential to greatly enhance patient experience.”
Project CALEUS is working with 16 consortium partners to deliver what will be the first national drone network that can transport essential medicines, bloods and other medical supplies throughout Scotland including to remote communities.
CAELUS (Care & Equity – Healthcare Logistics UAS Scotland), is part funded by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Flight Challenge.
In the latest live flight trials, tests were also carried out on how NHS staff in future would engage with the drone both physically and digitally.
Ajay Modha, Head of UK Business for ANRA Technologies UK said: "CAELUS is revolutionising medical drone services, with ANRA Technologies playing a pivotal role in the trials. Through its cutting-edge Delivery Management System and advanced Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) platform, ANRA seamlessly integrates customers, drone operators, and airspace managers, ensuring efficient, safe, and reliable operations for life-saving deliveries."
Anne-Lise Scaillierez, partner at The Drone Office: "Public feedback from our engagement activities has shown overwhelming support for using drones in medical logistics across Scotland. We're thrilled by the significant progress achieved as part of Project CAELUS.”
Richard Ellis, NATS Services New Airspace Users Director, said: “Project CAELUS continues to push the boundaries for drone operations in the UK and we are very proud to be playing our part. These latest flights have given us a chance to further validate our Master Control Room prototype, with the team receiving live flight telemetry for the first time. That’s another step towards achieving an integrated airspace for the UK, where potentially life changing applications like this can be the norm not the exception.”
Key Scenarios used in the flight trial:
Faster Diagnostic Testing: Patients on the Isle of Arran regularly need diagnostic tests that must be analysed on the mainland. The current 3.5–5-hour transit time could be reduced to 30 minutes, allowing quicker access to results and potentially lifesaving decisions.
Urgent Blood Product Deliveries: In remote locations where patients require emergency blood transfusions, drones could transport blood products within 30 minutes, compared to the current reliance on road and ferry services, which can take up to 5 hours.
Emergency Medical Supplies: Drones could deliver rare or urgent medicines to hospitals, particularly when traditional transport routes are unavailable or delayed. This will provide quicker access to critical treatments, saving lives in emergency situations.
The CAELUS consortium comprises:
AGS Airports
ANRA Technologies UK
Arup
AtkinsRéalis
Boldyn Networks UK
Commonplace Digital
Connected Places Catapult
DGP Intelsius
Dronamics
NATS
NHS Scotland
Plane Finder
Skyports Drone Services
The Drone Office
Trax International
University of Strathclyde
Additional comments
The University of Strathclyde’s principal investigator for the project, Dr Marco Fossati, said: “A drone network has the potential to ensure critical medical supplies can be delivered more efficiently, and reduce waiting times for test results.”
Connected Places Catapult’s Ecosystem Director for Air Mobility & Airports, Andrew Chadwick said: “It is fantastic to see Project CAELUS complete its latest airborne trial across the Clyde, following a recent successful demonstration of drones to carry medical supplies between Edinburgh and Melrose.
“The Catapult has provided engineering and project management support to our consortium partners and evaluated the economics of drone deliveries. We want to ensure the UK and small to medium sized firms are at the forefront of developments in this emerging sector.”
AGS Airports
AGS Airports Limited was established in 2014 to invest in Aberdeen International, Glasgow and Southampton airports and is the second largest airport group in the UK.
AGS Airports Limited is jointly held by Ferrovial (via Faero UK Limited) and AGS Ventures Airports Limited, an entity controlled by Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund 4 LP.
AGS Airports supports tens of thousands of jobs and contributes in excess of £2 billion in GVA to the UK economy every year. In 2021, AGS launched its sustainability strategy setting out how it will balance the undoubted economic and social benefits of aviation with its climate change responsibilities. AGS has:
Reduced its direct carbon emissions by 52% since 2018.
Achieved carbon neutrality in 2020.
Has committed to achieving net zero for direct emissions by the mid-2030s.
Future Flight Challenge
The Future Flight Challenge from UK Research and Innovation is a £125 million investment designed to deliver the third revolution in aviation. By establishing a vision for the future aviation system using new classes of electric/hydrogen and autonomous vehicles we are transforming how we connect people, deliver goods and provide services. We are working towards demonstrating the safe integration and operation of drones, advanced air mobility and regional aircraft, along with advancements in electrification and autonomy. We encourage businesses, regulators and public bodies to share knowledge and resources with each other to bring these innovative air vehicles into service safely and practically.
UK Research and Innovation
We work with the government to invest over £7 billion a year in research and innovation by partnering with academia and industry to make the impossible, possible. Through the UK’s nine leading academic and industrial funding councils, we create knowledge with impact.
Trax International
Trax is an aviation consultancy focusing on air traffic management and airport service provision with a multicultural team and worldwide reputation.We employ a multi-national team of consultants with a diverse range of backgrounds, covering regulation, economics, stakeholder engagement and communications, air traffic control, instrument flight procedure design, aircraft and aerodromes operations, pilots, commercial UAV operations and programme management.Our consultants work at the forefront of operational implementations as well as R&D activities currently being undertaken within the industry. We work with all stakeholders including policy makers, regulators and government to tackle key implementation challenges facing the sector.
University of Strathclyde Boilerplate
The University of Strathclyde is a leading international technological university based in the centre of Glasgow.
Inspired by our founding principle as ‘a place of useful learning’, our mission is to make a positive difference to the lives of our students, to society and to the world.
Strathclyde students benefit from an innovative and practical educational experience enhanced by its integration with our research capabilities, high-quality academic resources and an unparalleled industry engagement programme.
The excellence of our research is evidenced by the growth in range and scale of our research collaborations and by our performance in the Research Excellence Framework 2021 where almost 90% was rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally-excellent’.
We have redefined how we collaborate and work with industry, government and the third sector to ensure innovation and knowledge exchange are fundamental activities that deliver tangible impact.
Strathclyde was named Scottish University of the Year 2024 in the inaugural Daily Mail University Guide, Sunday Times Good University Guide Scottish University of the Year 2020, Times Higher Education UK University of the Year 2019, and was awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education for its excellence in energy innovation in 2020, for excellence in advanced manufacturing in 2022 and for excellence in photonics research in 2023.
ANRA Technlogies' UK Ltd
ANRA Technologies is an international provider of airspace management solutions for unmanned aircraft operators and airspace managers. ANRA offers intelligent and modular traffic management software capabilities for UAS Traffic Management (UTM)/U-space and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) operations. For organizations that need an enterprise-class drone operations solution, ANRA offers MissionManager, and for delivery solutions, ANRA offers DELIVERY. Learn more by visiting www.flyanra.com.
NATS
NATS is the UK’s principal air navigation services provider and is split into two main businesses, which provide two distinct services:
NATS (En Route) plc (NERL) — the regulated business, which provides air traffic management services to aircraft within UK airspace and over the eastern part of the North Atlantic; and
NATS (Services) Ltd (NSL) — the unregulated business, which provides air traffic control services at many of the UK’s major airports (13 civil and 7 military airfields) and other airports overseas.
NATS is alive to the opportunities that new airspace users present for airspace in the future and has worked closely with early innovators. Safety is always our number one priority, and we are working with increasing intensity to support the growth of this exciting new industry by safely integrating new users into a sustainable, modernised and fully integrated airspace.
For more information visit the NATS website at www.nats.aero
Skyports Drone Services
Skyports Drone Services is committed to creating positive change by connecting people, businesses and communities to vital supplies and services. The company operates eVTOL drones for cargo drone deliveries, survey and surveillance, and is an expert in the operation of long-range and beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) autonomous flight for a multitude of use cases, including ship-to-shore and maritime applications, medical and dangerous goods deliveries, and AI-driven surveys for the agriculture and infrastructure sectors.
Based in London, United Kingdom, Skyports has projects operating in multiple continents, including in Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, Middle East and North America. Skyports investors include Deutsche Bahn Digital Ventures, Groupe ADP, Irelandia Aviation, Levitate Capital, Solar Ventus, The Goodman Group, Kanematsu Corporation, Ardian, F2i, GreenPoint, and ST Engineering.
Find out more at www.skyportsdroneservices.com
Dronamics
Dronamics is the world’s first cargo drone airline. Аs a leading developer and operator of large, long-range drones built specifically for cargo, its flagship Black Swan can carry 350 kg (770 lb) at a distance of up to 2,500 km (1,550 mi) up to 80% faster, 50% cheaper and with up to 60% lower emissions than alternative modes of transport, including airfreight. This proven technology enables same-day shipping over very long distances for a variety of industries: from pharma to food, from e-commerce to spare parts. The company’s fast-growing team includes some of the most experienced aerospace, logistics and technology experts. Dronamics is Europe’s first licensed cargo drone airline and the first one to obtain both IATA and ICAO designator codes.
About AtkinsRéalis
AtkinsRéalis is a world-class engineering services and nuclear company dedicated to engineering a better future for our planet and its people. We create sustainable solutions that connect people, data and technology to transform the world's infrastructure and energy systems. We deploy global capabilities locally to our clients and deliver unique end-to-end services across the whole life cycle of an asset including consulting, advisory & environmental services, intelligent networks & cybersecurity, design & engineering, procurement, project & construction management, operations & maintenance, decommissioning and capital. The breadth and depth of our capabilities are delivered to clients in strategic sectors such as Engineering Services, Nuclear and Capital. News and information are available at www.atkinsrealis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
Commonplace
The Commonplace citizen engagement platform (https://www.commonplace.is/) is designed to connect people with the places they live, work and play – to accelerate positive change through their collaboration with our customers. We help our customers reach their communities, engage them in conversation, analyse their feedback and collaborate on future ideas to help build trust and transparency. You can view recent Commonplace projects here.
DGP Intelsius
DGP Intelsius are expert designers and manufacturers of environmentally sustainable and regulatory compliant sample transport and temperature-controlled packaging solutions. We have 20 years of experience helping some of the world's biggest pharmaceutical and healthcare organisations achieve excellence in cold chain and sample transport logistics.
We have a global footprint, with offices and suppliers on every continent, meaning we can flex to meet demand as and when it arises. In addition, our expert Technical Team and ISTA-certified laboratory ensure we can design, test and qualify your packaging with your specific payload and shipping lane in mind.
Find out more at: www.intelsius.com
Arup
Dedicated to sustainable development, Arup is a collective of 20,000 designers, advisors and experts working across 140 countries. Founded to strive for humanity and excellence in everything that we do, we collaborate with our clients and partners, using imagination, technology and rigour to shape a better world.
Plane Finder
Plane Finder is a UK designer and manufacturer of high-quality ADS-B/MLAT surveillance hardware and software. Our global surveillance networks, real time data APIs and end user display software are trusted across the aviation industry.
The Drone Office
The Drone Office is a consultancy and services company specializing in drones. We offer clients independent, solution-agnostic expertise. We advocate safe and innovative drone roadmaps. Drones are part of digital transformation. Beyond safety, our objective is to help clients transform disruption into a competitive advantage and value creation. Equally important, we share a vision of technology with a sense of purpose that truly adds value for everyone. https://www.thedroneoffice.com/
About Connected Places Catapult
Connected Places Catapult is the UK’s innovation accelerator for cities, transport, and place leadership. We provide impartial ‘innovation as a service’ for public bodies, businesses, and infrastructure providers to catalyse step-change improvements in the way people live, work and travel. We connect businesses and public sector leaders to cutting-edge research to spark innovation and grow new markets. We run technology demonstrators and SME accelerators to scale new solutions that drive growth, spread prosperity, and reduce carbon emissions.cp.catapult.org.uk
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