Drone project reaches ‘important milestone’ with final trial flights

23 December 2024, 07:04

Morning drone (002)
Morning drone (002). Picture: PA

The final flights for Project CAELUS involved medical products being flown between Dr Gary’s Hospital in Elgin and Aberdeen.

The final trial flights have taken place in a “ground-breaking initiative” that uses drones to transport medical products.

Project CAELUS involved drones travelling between Dr Gray’s Hospital in Elgin and Aberdeen over a three-week period between November and December.

AGS Airports – which includes Aberdeen Aiport – led the initiative, working with 15 other partners as part of the project, which was established with the aim of creating a national drone network to help with healthcare logistics.

Dr Jamie Hogg, clinical lead in the north for Project CAELUS trial said: “These test flights are the key to unlocking the huge potential of drone networks to support our NHS services.”

Adding that the trial built on earlier “successful live flight trials” that had taken place in and around NHS sites in Lothian, the Borders, Ayrshire and Arran and Glasgow, Dr Hogg said: “The North of Scotland and the islands stand to benefit from this research and innovation with the potential to be more patient-focused and sustainable.”

Meanwhile, Fiona Smith, the sustainability director at AGS Airports, said: “Project CAELUS is a truly ground-breaking initiative that not only transforms healthcare logistics but also demonstrates how drones can be safely and effectively integrated into modern airspace.”

She added that using such “innovative technology” allowed them to “deliver critical medical supplies like blood products and diagnostic samples in record time, improving patient outcomes and enhancing healthcare access for remote and rural communities”

Ms Smith said: “These trials showcase the potential of a future where drones are a seamless part of our airspace, working alongside traditional aviation to serve vital societal needs.”

Business and innovation minister Richard Lochhead said the completion of live trial flights was an ‘important milestone’ for the project (Fraser Bremner/Scottish Daily Mail/PA)

Hazel Dempsey, national programme manager at NHS Grampian said: “NHS Grampian is proud to be the lead board for NHS Scotland on CAELUS and we are delighted to have worked alongside our fellow boards and to be closing the project with our industry partners on this, our final live flight trial.”

Business and innovation minister Richard Lochhead said he was pleased to have seen Project CAELUS progress further.

The Scottish Government minister said: “This is a pivotal example of industry, academia and the public sector working together to develop solutions to enhance our public services.

“The successful completion of live trials marks an important milestone in delivering the project, which promises a hugely promising solution to ensuring essential healthcare supplies are delivered where and when they are needed.”

The project took place after Dr Marco Fossati of the University of Strathclyde created a digital blueprint for a drone delivery network with his research team.

Dr Fossati said: “It has been fantastic to have been involved in this project, which emerged from research led by Strathclyde, and which has the potential to connect hospitals, pathology laboratories, distribution centres and GP surgeries across Scotland.”

By Press Association

More Technology News

See more More Technology News

The icons for the smartphone apps DeepSeek and ChatGPT are seen on a mobile

Nations and tech firms to jostle for AI leadership at Paris summit

Nick Lees

Man who credits King over cancer diagnosis given pioneering robotic microsurgery

Ellen Roome with her 14-year-old son Jools Sweeney

Parents suing TikTok over children’s deaths ‘want answers’

The Apple logo in the window of an Apple store

Home Office orders Apple to let it access users’ encrypted files – report

Ellen Roome with her son Jools Sweeney

Bereaved families file US lawsuit against TikTok over access to children’s data

The OpenAI logo appears on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen with random binary data

OpenAI taking claims of data breach ‘seriously’

There are concerns over how technology is aiding the abuse of women (Alamy/PA)

Deepfake abuse crackdown a ‘really important blow in battle against misogyny’

The Football Manager 25 logo on a light purple background

Football Manager 25 cancelled after delays

Football Manager 25 has been cancelled after being hit by delays

Football Manager 25 cancelled after several delays

Carsten Jung, head of AI at the IPPR, warned that politics 'needs to catch up' with the implications of AI (PA)

AI could replace 70% of tasks in computer-based jobs, study says

General view of IMI headquarters at Lakeside, Birmingham Business Park, Birmingham.

Engineering group IMI latest UK firm to be hit by cyber attack

A person's hands on the keyboard of a laptop

PSNI exploring use of AI to analyse mobile phone evidence

A screenshot of the homepage of AI chatbot DeepSeek, showing a warning message about new users being unable to register for the app

DeepSeek reopens new user sign-ups despite ongoing security concerns

A Google logo on the screen of a mobile phone, in Londons

Google axes diversity hiring targets as it reviews DEI programmes

A person’s hand pressing keys of a laptop keyboard

UK to get new cyber attack severity rating system

People working at computers

Capital raised by tech start-ups under Government scheme doubles