Flirtey, a player in the commercial drone delivery industry, and Vault Health, a platform of supervised COVID-19 testing, announced they have successfully conducted drone deliveries of the first FDA authorized saliva based COVID-19 test.
In November 2020, Flirtey and Vault Health announced a partnership to test drone delivery of the at-home saliva based COVID-19 test. Using Flirtey’s drones to deliver the test kits to homes helps eliminate exposure risks and creates further convenience, especially for those who do not live in proximity to on-site testing locations. Flirtey has now successfully conducted drone deliveries of at-home COVID-19 test kits.
The test kits were carried by a Flirtey Eagle delivery drone, which autonomously hovered and lowered the test kits using Flirtey’s delivery mechanism. As shown in the video released by Flirtey and Vault Health, the Flirtey Eagle delivery drone enabled safe delivery of the packages into the backyard of a residential area in Northern Nevada. Once the packages were delivered, the local residents accessed a secure video call with a health professional to supervise their saliva sample collection for the COVID-19 test. Drone delivery of the test kits was faster than traditional mail, reducing the shipping process by up to 48 hours, which could lead to quicker results and reduce risk of asymptomatic spread.
“Our mission is to save lives and improve lifestyles by making delivery instant for everyone. Conducting drone deliveries of at-home COVID-19 test kits with Vault Health is another huge step toward our mission. Flirtey has built the Best-in-Class drone delivery system for last-mile delivery. As we expand our testing programs, we are working closely with the FAA on Type Certification, which will enable wide-scale use of our technology for commercial and life-saving applications,”
said Flirtey Founder and CEO Matthew Sweeny.
“Our goal at Vault has always been to expand access to COVID-19 testing so everyone can get a test when they need one. Flirtey helps expand on our innovations to make our already fast turnaround time, even faster,”
said Jason Feldman, Founder and CEO of Vault Health.
Source: Press Release