A drone transports human tissue between hospitals

A drone took test flights in the eastern Belgian city of Antwerp on Tuesday to transport human tissue from one hospital to another for analysis, a first-of-its-kind experiment in Europe that could save precious time during the process.

The drone, operated by the Flemish company Helicus, landed on the roof of the Sind-Augustinus branch of the GZA hospitals, 800 meters away, a building of the Antwerp ZNA hospital network four minutes later: inside ‘connected to the drone. , a vial containing potentially cancerous human tissue for analysis at the Sint-Augustus laboratory.

This test flight, followed by three more during the day, is a first: Helicus is currently the only European company authorized to organize drone flights in a city above, for medical purposes, and flying remotely, as of mid-June. out of sight of the operator.

The tests, carried out with a device from Belgian manufacturer SABCA, come ahead of new European regulations expected in 2023 that will allow for the generalization of the transport of human tissue by drones. Helix is ​​banking on commercial growth and regular flights by 2024.