How drones in India are revolutionising healthcare logistics
As the technology continues to evolve and regulatory frameworks adapt, the future of drone-powered healthcare logistics in India looks increasingly bright.
Across India's vast and diverse landscape, delivering healthcare to remote and underserved areas has long been a daunting challenge. Now, a new ally has emerged in this mission: drones. These unmanned aerial vehicles are revolutionising healthcare logistics, swiftly transporting medical supplies, samples, and emergency aid to hard-to-reach communities.
Leading Indian drone companies have been at the forefront of this transformative shift, adapting their technology to navigate the country's unique geographical and climatic conditions. Ankit Kumar, Founder and CEO of Skye Air Mobility, explained how his company has tailored its solutions to address the complexities of India's airspace and diverse weather conditions: "To address the complexity of India's airspace, we have integrated advanced Skye UTM (Unmanned Traffic Management) systems, which enable precise navigation and coordination with Ground Control Station (GCS) and drones, reducing the risk of airspace conflicts by approximately 80%. Our drones are equipped with weather-resistant materials and technology, allowing them to withstand the high humidity of Tamil Nadu and the arid heat of Rajasthan, maintaining around 95% operational efficiency across different climates."
Similarly, Rishabh Gupta, Co-founder of Redwing Labs, highlighted their approach to tackling India's diverse terrains and weather conditions, stating, "Our hybrid vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drones, tailored for the diverse terrains of India, are equipped with features like dual GPS, dual airspeed sensors, and split control surfaces to handle varying weather conditions and complex geographical terrains. We have also integrated a modular payload system for temperature-sensitive medical supplies, which is crucial in regions with extreme climates."
Drones: India’s new healthcare allies
The impact of these drone-based healthcare delivery systems has been profound, particularly in areas with limited road infrastructure and challenging terrain. In states like Telangana and Arunachal Pradesh, various drone companies have demonstrated the potential of drones to rapidly transport vital medicines, vaccines, and diagnostic samples to remote communities.
As battery technology and hybrid propulsion systems improve, we expect longer flight ranges and the ability to carry larger payloads, making multi-point deliveries feasible in a single trip.
-Rishabh Gupta of Redwing Labs
One such initiative is the World Economic Forum's Medicine from the Sky project, launched in 2019. This initiative is focussing on delivering vaccines, diagnostic samples, and medicine to remote areas using drones. The project's first phase was launched in Telangana, where over 300 drone-enabled vaccine delivery trials were successfully completed, establishing it as a pioneering effort in Asia.
Building on this success, the initiative expanded to the more challenging landscapes of Arunachal Pradesh. This phase stress-tested drone systems in complex environments and integrated them into the healthcare distribution system. Over 650 drone flights were executed, delivering more than 8,000 medical products to over 200 patients across a challenging 15,000km ground distance.
The Medicine from the Sky initiative underscores the potential of drone technology in overcoming India's unique geographical challenges. Of the 30,000 government-run primary healthcare centres serving India's 1.4 billion people, an estimated 5-10% are nearly inaccessible due to their remote locations or vulnerability to natural disasters, according to a recent report by the World Economic Forum.
This governmental support aligns with the efforts of private companies like Skye Air Mobility, TechEagle and Redwing Labs among others, who are tailoring their drone technologies to address India's diverse climatic and geographical conditions. For instance, Kumar of Skye Air Mobility elaborated on the specially designed features that ensure the safe transport of sensitive medical supplies: "By leveraging real-time data analytics, we can adjust flight paths dynamically, ensuring timely delivery even in challenging weather conditions. This adaptability has enabled us to cut delivery times by up to 60%, ensuring that critical medical supplies reach healthcare facilities faster than ever before."
Gupta of Redwing Labs added to this, highlighting the significant improvements in healthcare delivery times and costs in partnership with local governments. "In states like Arunachal Pradesh and Odisha, our healthcare delivery programmes in partnership with local governments have demonstrated a significant reduction in healthcare delivery times and costs, enabling timely access to critical supplies,” he stated.
Successful projects across states
In November 2023, a groundbreaking pilot programme was launched in Odisha. The SAMRIDH Healthcare Blended Finance Facility, supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by IPE Global, collaborated with Redwing Labs to establish a drone network in the Rayagada district. With SAMRIDH's support, Redwing Labs covered their operational expenses. Over the course of this support, the network completed 2,300+ drone flights, benefiting over 15,000 people in these hard-to-reach areas. In September 2023, Skye Air Mobility partnered with Cipla to launch drone-powered deliveries of its critical medicines for hospitals and pharmacies in Himachal Pradesh. They completed multiple drone deliveries covering approximately 50 kilometres distance in under 25 minutes in its inaugural phase.
Other companies are also making significant strides in this field. TechEagle, another Indian drone delivery startup, has been pushing the boundaries of what's possible in emergency healthcare logistics. In September 2023, TechEagle's hybrid e-VTOL drone, Vertiplane X3, completed its maiden flight from Sirohi to Waloriya in Rajasthan, covering 35 km in less than 20 minutes to deliver medicines to a tribal population. This journey was six times faster than ground transportation, especially significant given the lack of roads for the last 8 km. The drone also returned with sputum samples, showcasing the potential for bi-directional medical logistics. In January 2024, TechEagle completed one of India's longest drone delivery flights, transporting TB medicines from AIIMS Rishikesh to remote Uttarakhand areas, supporting the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Yojna, government initiative aimed at eliminating tuberculosis by 2025. TechEagle, in March 2024, also won a competitive bid for a tender with AIIMS Guwahati for a 104-kilometre drone delivery corridor, the longest flight in India among all medicine delivery projects.
More recently, in May 2024, TSAW Drones demonstrated the critical role of drones in time-sensitive medical scenarios. They carried out an oncological tissue delivery under controlled temperature and humidity conditions between two hospitals in Karnataka for laboratory testing. The drone flight covered a distance that typically takes 60 minutes by road in just 16 minutes.
We anticipate the integration of machine learning algorithms into the drones, which will enable real-time decision-making and dynamic route optimisation enabled by companion computers.
-Ankit Kumar of Skye Air Mobility
Overcoming obstacles
However, the integration of drone technology into India's healthcare logistics has not been without its challenges. Regulatory hurdles and the diverse topography of India pose significant obstacles. Kumar of Skye Air Mobility explained these challenges: "The dynamic regulatory framework in India, governed by the DGCA, necessitates that we obtain multiple approvals and adhere to strict guidelines.”
Gupta of Redwing Labs highlighted additional challenges, including infrastructure limitations and the need for community acceptance. He mentioned, "Many rural healthcare facilities operate on constrained budgets, making it difficult for them to justify the investment in advanced drone-based logistics in the short term. Convincing healthcare providers and local communities about the benefits and reliability of drone deliveries compared to traditional methods is also a big challenge."
Addressing concerns about the safety and security of medical supplies during drone transport is also a key priority for these companies. Skye Air Mobility has implemented a multi-layered approach, as Kumar explained, "We have also equipped our drones with secure, tamper-proof compartments that protect medical supplies from environmental factors such as temperature fluctuations, which is crucial for the safe transport of sensitive items like vaccines and blood samples. In fact, our temperature control mechanisms in the payload box maintain optimal compliance with industry standards, ensuring that supplies arrive in optimal condition."
Gupta of Redwing Labs added to this, detailing their safety measures, "Our payload compartments are tamper-proof and maintain controlled environmental conditions to ensure the integrity of medical supplies. Dual GPS and airspeed sensors, along with fail-safe mechanisms, are in place to ensure that the drone safely reaches its destination even if a component fails mid-flight and our ground control systems continuously monitor each flight, allowing real-time intervention if needed."
Future flight paths
As the use of drones in India's healthcare logistics continues to expand, the potential for broader societal impact becomes increasingly evident. By overcoming geographical barriers and reducing delivery times, these innovative technologies are not only transporting medical supplies but also delivering hope to millions of underserved individuals. The success of these drone-based initiatives could inspire other developing nations facing similar healthcare challenges, leading to a global shift in the way essential medical services are delivered.
Looking ahead, the future of drone technology in India's healthcare logistics appears increasingly promising. The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) with drone systems is expected to drive further advancements. Gupta of Redwing Labs shared his vision for the future, highlighting, "Fully autonomous drones with AI-based navigation and decision-making systems will improve efficiency and reduce human intervention. As battery technology and hybrid propulsion systems improve, we expect longer flight ranges and the ability to carry larger payloads, making multi-point deliveries feasible in a single trip. Furthermore, coordinated operations using drone swarms could allow mass deliveries in response to emergencies, such as during disease outbreaks or natural disasters."
Kumar of Skye Air Mobility concluded with his perspective on future advancements: "We anticipate the integration of machine learning algorithms into the drones, which will enable real-time decision-making and dynamic route optimisation enabled by companion computers. This could improve efficiency by an estimated 25%, making healthcare logistics even more efficient and responsive to urgent needs. We are also exploring advancements in battery technology (including battery management system), which could extend the flight range of our drones by up to approx. 30-40%, allowing us to cover longer distances and serve even more remote areas without the need for frequent recharging."
The journey to integrate drones into India's healthcare system has been marked by both challenges and breakthroughs. As the technology continues to evolve and regulatory frameworks adapt, the future of drone-powered healthcare logistics in India looks increasingly bright.
