In Gironde, medicines delivered by drone to rural areas

That day, in the heart of the South-Gironde countryside, a drone landed in the middle of the fields. He drops off a package. Inside, medicine. Vitamin C, paracetamol, antibiotics… everything arrived safely. It is the pharmacist of Toulenne who is at the origin of this astonishing delivery. A fan of new technologies who is betting on the drone. “Deliveries by car take time. We often have requests during peak hours when there are traffic jams”, explains Valentin Hamon. With the drone, no traffic problems. And the race is fast, the flying machine travels one kilometer in one minute.

For the time being, it is only an experiment, already carried out in Hauts-de-France. The objective is to provide solutions to populations living in medical deserts. It is a Parisian start-up that is behind this medicine delivery drone. The device is equipped with a black box, sensors and a parachute. Security must be maximum.

“We are going to analyze the different flight trajectories. We are going to look at two parameters in particular. The first is above what we are flying. Of course, urban flight is prohibited. But we are also going to ensure that, in in any case, we fly over areas that are low in population density”, reports Jean-Philippe Bonhomme, research and development director at HDrones.

The test period ends in a year. Aerial drug delivery is expected to begin in 2023.