From Missouri S&T: A new way to deliver transplant materials will soon take flight in Rolla, Mo.
Valkyrie UAS Solutions and Mid-America Transplant, in partnership with Missouri S&T, will host a ribbon cutting and first flight demonstration for a health care drone corridor at 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 1, at the university’s General Services Building, located at 1701 Spruce Dr. in Rolla.
Land near this S&T building will serve as Valkyrie’s hub for transporting tissue and blood samples and eventually other health care supplies via drone between St. Louis and Springfield, Missouri.
“With transplant cases, speed is critical,” says Ty Harmon, Valkyrie CEO. “But the current system that relies on ground transportation and chartering small aircraft takes time and can be expensive. Our solution can get critical materials where they need to go faster and at a significantly reduced cost.”
A sample that travels from Springfield to St. Louis using traditional methods costs around $12,000, but Harmon says the drone technology could reduce that expense by over $10,000 and cut the standard three-hour travel time in half.
He says the drones will operate with human oversight but follow preprogrammed flight paths. They can carry up to 12 pounds of cargo and fly more than 100 miles on a single charge.
Dr. David Borrok, vice provost and dean of the S&T College of Engineering and Computing, says partnering on the project and locating the drone hub in Rolla is a logical fit.
“With Missouri S&T’s expertise in drone systems, combined with our focus on improving human health, partnering with Valkyrie and Mid-America Transplant makes perfect sense,” he says. “We’re excited to advance research that will help refine their work and make it even more efficient and accessible.”
Registering for the event at go.mst.edu/firstflight is encouraged but not required. To learn more about Valkyrie, visit at valkyrie-uas.co.
