Swiss Post gets green light to begin drone flights

Switzerland’s Federal Office for Civil Aviation gave the Swiss postal company permission to fly laboratory samples between two hospitals via drone starting in 2018.    Swiss Post, the national postal service company of Switzerland, has been given the green light by Switzerland’s Federal Office for Civil Aviation (FOCA) to begin regular drone flights of laboratory samples between two hospitals in Lugano, Switzerland.
   The drone flights are to begin in 2018 and were only approved after FOCA monitored 70 autonomous test flights by Swiss Post, the Ticino EOC hospital group, and U.S.-based drone manufacturer Matternet. Further test flights will be conducted until April 4 with additional flights planned for this summer, Swiss Post said.
   Currently, the laboratory samples are being transported via truck between the two hospitals, the Ospedale Italiano and the Ospedale Civico.
   The drone is a quadrocopter with a diameter of 80 centimeters (without rotor blades), and specializes in the transport of light goods weighing up to 2 kilograms. It has a maximum range of 20 kilometers and flies at an average speed of 36 kilometers per hour.
   Safety features include duplicates of both the autopilot and other important sensors such as the altimeter, accelerometer and gyrometer. In the event of the failure of all electronics, a parachute would automatically be released. A landing pad that transmits an infrared signal will be used at the take-off and landing points. During its approach, the drone can detect this signal to ensure a pinpoint landing.
   Matternet, the drone manufacturer, specializes in automated aerial logistics and partners with organizations such as UNICEF, World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders.
   The EOC hospital group is the largest public healthcare provider in the Canton of Ticino – the southernmost region of Switzerland, where the population predominately speaks Italian.