AUG 28 — Belgian hospitals have begun testing a drone to save time delivering human tissue samples across city centres, between patients on the operating table and medical labs, a first in Europe.
Slung underneath the quadcopter was a sterile flask containing human tissue samples to be tested for cancer cells. The first test flight was followed by four more. The drone itself is manufactured by the Belgian firm SABCA, and Helicus hopes to have developed a commercial operation with regular flights by 2024.
Michael Shamim, Helicus' chief executive, told AFP that hospitals are saving costs by centralising testing labs -- but then finding themselves more remote from patients.Drones are not affected by traffic delays and road closures, so their direct routes between hospital facilities are often quicker but also more predictable.