Medical Drones
Discover cutting-edge solutions from 5 leading global suppliersANRA Technologies successfully supported the two-year Care & Equity, Healthcare Logistics UAS (CAELUS) project, aimed at enhancing drone-based medical deliveries for the National Health Service (NHS) Scotland.
CAELUS, funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), is attempting to pave the way for scalable, safe, and efficient drone operations in the United Kingdom.
ANRA’s primary role was to facilitate the development and testing of airspace management solutions using Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) and delivery management systems. By integrating its advanced Delivery Management System (DMS) with its UTM platform, ANRA enabled intricate Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) medical delivery operations, successfully connecting key stakeholders including NHS Scotland, delivery drone operators, and end users.
ANRA Technologies improved NHS operations by enabling seamless coordination between customers, suppliers, and drone operators through its DMS, demonstrating the system’s effectiveness in critical medical scenarios.
Additionally, they have supported and participated in four major CAELUS trials across Scotland, covering Glasgow Airport, Crosshouse to Arran, Edinburgh to the Borders, and Aberdeen to Elgin. Furthermore, ANRA has developed and tested UTM-ATM interoperability solutions during the Crosshouse and Aberdeen trials, demonstrating the integration of drone operations with existing air traffic management (ATM) frameworks, based on ANRA’s expertise in open interoperability standards.
The CAELUS project results showcased it reaching several critical milestones. Notably, ANRA’s UTM platform was integrated into the project’s Concept of Operations (ConOps), establishing a solid foundation for future airspace management frameworks.
Alongside this, the project demonstrated the execution of complex BVLOS operations, with ANRA’s DMS, enabling seamless data exchanges with ATM systems. This capability allowed for efficient and safe drone flights in highly regulated airspace, as showcased during the Crosshouse and Aberdeen trials.
A key achievement was completing the UK’s longest onshore BVLOS drone flight. The operation featured two segments, with an intermediate landing at a charging station, managed entirely through ANRA’s integrated DMS and UTM solutions. This accomplishment demonstrates ANRA’s commitment to enabling reliable drone operations for essential services and their interoperability with multiple technology partners.
Dr. Ajay Modha, Head of Business UK at ANRA Technologies, commented, “We are proud to have contributed to the CAELUS project and its transformative work in advancing drone integration for medical deliveries. The successful trials and demonstrations highlight how our solutions can enable scalable, safe, and efficient drone operations, particularly in critical use cases like healthcare.”
The CAELUS project’s success represents is seen as a step forward in realizing the potential of drones to enhance healthcare delivery, reduce transportation times, and improve patient outcomes in the UK and beyond.
