Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Acumen Research and Consulting has released a new report that suggests the medical drone market could hit $643 million by 2027. The reason behind it is the recent advancements in drone technology and the continuing adoption of medical delivery drones worldwide.

A Toronto television station has put together a reel featuring drone footage taken around the city. And, because Toronto is currently under full lockdown, it’s a pretty empty place.

A trial funded by iMOVE Cooperative Research Centre will look into the feasibility of flying COVID-19 vaccines to living in remote Australia. The test is expected to occur in the Northern Territory and see the drones fly up to 250 km (155 m).

Drone delivery company Flirtey has announced it will work with Vault Health to deliver at-home COVID-19 tests to limit exposure between people and make it more convenient for those far away from test locations.

Surf Life Saving New South Wales (NSW) has sent its drones back up across Sydney’s popular beaches and parks to ensure COVID-19 rules are followed. The drones were first used back in November to prepare for the increase in activity around the festive season.

After many months of setup work, DR Congo’s medical delivery drones are finally taking flight thanks to Swoop Aero, VillageReach, and the DRC Ministry of Health. The Swoop Aero team announced it was in the country back in October of last year.

Airspace Link has been delivering COVID-19 test kits from hospitals to a lab to speed up testing turnaround times since mid-January. The company has been working with DroneUp and the University of New York (SUNY) to make it happen.

German drone company Wingcopter has raised $22 million in its latest funding round to expand into North America and advance its technology. The company will also use the funds to strengthen its leadership in the market, deliver COVID-19 vaccines, and launch the next delivery drone.

Drone company WeRobotics has announced it has been selected to work with Pfizer to develop a new drone to deliver COVID-19 vaccines. The pharmaceutical company has chosen to develop the cargo drone from DJI’s new Matrice 300 drone platform.

A new video released by Dragonfly shows a new capability for one of its products: spraying disinfectant over seats and surfaces in stadiums.

A resident in Dalian, China, has come up with a smart solution to take out the trash as the country endures another wave of COVID-19 lockdowns. The resident has chosen to use a drone to drop the package off on the ground through their apartment window.

The Royal Thai Armed Forces announced earlier this week that it would be upping the drone presence along the Thailand-Myanmar border to detect and prevent illegal entries into the country in the run-up before the festive season.

Drone delivery company Flirtey has partnered with Vault Health to deliver COVID-19 test kits to residents in Reno, Nevada. The medical drone delivery test has been given the go-ahead from the FAA and will be delivering the first FDA authorized COVID saliva test.

Australian authorities are struggling to keep drone drug deliveries out of Victorian prisons that have been on lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. The drones have been dropping narcotics and street drugs such as heroin to keep the prison drug market alive.

Surf Life Saving New South Wales will be using its drones to monitor Sydney beaches to make sure people are following COVID guidelines. The drones took to the sky over the weekend and are expected to be out until further notice.

The British government has set aside £33 million (~$43 million) in funding to be spent on firefighting and COVID delivery drones as a part of a ground-breaking aviation project to solve major global challenges. So far, 20 winning ideas have been funded by the UK government.

The United Kingdom National Health Service (NHS) has turned to medical delivery drones to deliver COVID testing kits to hospitals. The drone delivery trial has been backed by the UK Space Agency, which has handed over £1.3 million or around $1.7 million.

In a recent drone video, we see the devastating impact the COVID pandemic has had on the cruise ship industry, with many being stripped and sold for the scrap metal. Cruise ships were a major spreader for the coronavirus, basically killing themselves off.

The Indian government has been fast-tracking COVID-related drone operations over the last few months to prevent the spread of the virus. The country is becoming one of the largest breeding grounds for BVLOS operations, with various companies working with the government to bring drone delivery to the wider population.

Swoop Aero has announced it has returned to DR Congo with its drones to help in the fight against COVID, Ebola, and other diseases. The team will once again return to the Northwestern province of the Equator in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

NASA has delayed the launch of its Dragonfly drone meant to fly on Saturn’s Titan moon by one year to 2027 due to external factors, including COVID-19. The Dragonfly mission aims to explore Saturn’s Titan moon to look for the building blocks of life.