The time that drones were considered gadgets is now far behind us. Of the many applications in which they have proven themselves, the medical sector is perhaps the most convincing. A Belgian player develops autonomous, integrated solutions that respond perfectly to the needs of modern hospitals. For example, the Chu van Luik could soon connect various sites via drones.
Autonomous transport in all its forms was recently central during an event of ‘Logistics in Wallonia’ about the EDIH Walhub project (European Digital Innovation Center). One of the speakers, Johan van den Eede, Sales Specialist Intralogistics near Siemens, suggested the Drone Cargo Port project that is being developed by the Antwerp company Helicus and for which Siemens offers technological support. The ambition? Upness urgent medical transport per drone between healthcare institutions.
In surgical procedures, for example with cancer, a rapid tissue analysis determines whether the surgeon should remove even more tissue. That analysis must be done within 30 minutes, but the laboratory is often in a different location. With a drone, the results can be delivered on time to adjust the operation in a targeted manner. The drone can also be used for other medical emergencies, such as the transport of blood bags.
Autonomous structure
“The concept is all the more relevant,” explains Johan van den Eede, “because hospitals are increasingly centralizing and functioning in networks, because most of the transports in this sector are not done on request, and because road traffic does not guarantee stipping delivery.”
The Drone Cargo Port (DCP) is an automated infrastructure that is linked to a hospital and is fully integrated into hospital logistics. She houses the drone, ensures re -loading and automates the entire process before, during and after the flight – including obtaining the flight permit. For a working system, similar installations are of course required on both departure and arrival.
“With the support of the EU in the context of the Horizon Europe projects, we have developed a working DCP pilot between the Jan Yperman Hospital in Ypres and a satellite center in Diksmuide,” explains Alain Uyttenhoven, Corporate Relations Director at Helicus. “In addition, we have discussions with the Liège CHU, which asked us to investigate the possibility of connecting his various sites with our DCPs.”
The Drone Cargo Port is an automated infrastructure, linked to a hospital that guarantees complete integration into hospital logistics.
Belgium at the top
Medical drone supplies are not new in itself. For almost ten years, small unmanned devices have been saving human lives daily in Africa (see box) by delivering blood and medicines in places where road transport would take too much time and where air or helicopter transport would be too expensive.
But what works in Africa does not necessarily apply elsewhere. Certainly not in Europe, where the airspace is strictly regulated. Yet change is coming, and Belgium plays a pioneering role in this. For example, on March 20 in Brussels the very first drone flight with active ‘deconfliction’ took place in the controlled airspace of an international airport. A symbolic and promising flight, since Belgian airspace is the third busiest in the world in terms of air traffic. Johan Decuyper, CEO of Skeyes: “This flight proves that we are ready to take the next step with drones for ‘Beyond Visual Line of Sight’ operations near complex airspace around airports.”
The Drone Cargo Port from Helicus automates the entire process of medical delivery.
U-Space: the key
This flight is the framework that takes shape at the European level around the U-Space principle: infrastructures that enable the integration of drones into the aviation ecosystem via zones with a high level of automation and digitization.
Since 2023, such an U-space has been running in the test phase in the port of Antwerp-Brugge. It will be fully operational this fall. He is already making it possible for companies such as SGS (Ed: world leader in tests, inspection and certification) to use ADLC’s autonomous drones for the transport of Petrochemical samples from BASF Antwerp to the analysis center. A transport method that is six times faster and 80% less polluting than by road, and at the same time increases the operational efficiency of the company.
The development of these U-spaces therefore becomes reality, and it is by no means unreasonable to think that-with compliance with the regulations-the Drone Cargo Port project of the Liège could be operational in 2026, as Helicus hopes. An evolution that opens the door to numerous other applications that will have to be regulated …
The example of Rwanda
The drones of Zipline have been saving lives in Africa since 2016.
Under the impetus of the American company Zipline, autonomous medical drone deliveries have grown strongly in Rwanda since 2016. From two distribution centers in the country, we are continuously flown today, with up to 60 drones at the same time in the air – day and night. Together they cover more than 65,000 km per day and deliver more than 7,700 products. Initially everything revolved around blood bags and other medical goods, such as vaccines and medicines, which are delivered to healthcare institutions via Parachute. In the meantime, products have been added for the tourist and agricultural sector, and also various foods.
The Rwandan example was followed in other African countries such as Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Kenya, but also in the US and Japan. In March of this year, Zipline reported that it had exceeded the cape of 1.4 million deliveries per drone, accounting for 160 million kilometers.
