Background

The Canadian Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in Calgary is one of the foremost researchers of innovative applications for Remote Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) technology. Through its Centre for Innovation and Research in Unmanned Systems (CIRUS) and Applied Research and Innovation Services (ARIS) department, SAIT researchers and students work with an array of clients, exploring novel applications for drone technology. Institute research projects have ranged from applications for oil and gas exploration, environmental monitoring, search and rescue (SAR) and remote delivery of medical services. The Applied Research laboratory works with both public and private partners to conduct impartial testing of these cutting-edge applications, providing the necessary results and procedural knowledge to move from proof-of-concept to production.

Customer needs

As part of a joint project with the University of Calgary and W21C, the research division of Foothills Hospital – one of Canada’s largest health facilities – SAIT researchers leveraged drone delivery to bring Covid-19 test strips to remote indigenous communities. Extending testing capabilities into these areas introduced an added convenience to residents who would have had to travel long distances to a testing lab, ensuring that the potential for further viral exposure was limited. Ultimately, SAIT researchers demonstrated the test kits could be safely transported by RPAS, and drone-delivered test kits ultimately offered a path to limiting healthcare inequality among these remote communities.

SAIT researchers were again called upon to explore the use of RPAS to assist in SAR operations. The concept for this project revolved around using drones to deliver emergency trauma kits to a simulated stranded hiker. Equipment included a basic medical triage kit with gauze, clamps and tourniquets, along with a communications device. The idea was to drop it to a stranded hiker, who would be directly connected to an emergency room doctor. The medical expert could then talk the victim through the proper use of the medical kit.

The concept for this project revolved around using drones to deliver emergency trauma kits to a simulated stranded hiker

As SAIT researchers conducted initial testing, they quickly realized that landing the drone on these extended range missions was going to prove difficult. “Even in the relatively flat prairies in Alberta, field tests were losing telemetry connectivity as the RPAS descended below five meters,” said UAV/GIS Project Coordinator and Researcher, Stephanie Lapointe. “Once we realized landing and taking off would become problematic, we sought out a tethered delivery system and found the A2Z Drone Delivery winch.”

The A2Z Drone Delivery winch has multiple attachments, including a retrieval hook that can be lowered for anyone to attach a package, allowing the drone the capability for members of the public to return samples or use the drone to deliver other items.

Solution

Leveraging the Rapid Delivery System enabled researchers to make accurate deliveries from altitude, where telemetry data remained uninterrupted by the undulating topography. The tethered delivery technique also minimized the drone’s time-on-station, saving valuable battery life to extend the potential range of life-saving missions. One of the A2Z tether attachments is a quick-release mount. When the payload touches down, the connection automatically releases the package. This is to ensure that a person on the ground does not have to interact with the drone or the tether. It means parcels can be delivered when a person is not present, but is also a safety feature that helps minimize human interaction with the drone. The A2Z winch is drone agnostic, so it can be integrated with just about any drone.

“With the A2Z Rapid Delivery System, we were able to fly out to the simulated patient and safely deliver the medical kit right next to them,” said Wade Hawkins, Principal Investigator. “Our stranded hiker was able to open the package and turn on the communications device, before being connected directly to our emergency doctor who telementored the patient through applying trauma treatments, including gauze packing, tourniquet and clamp. We continue to conduct deliveries to allow medical personnel to refine their communication procedures and gather patient feedback through a post-mission survey.”

The battery life and range for such missions will depend on the chosen UAV platform and specific payload being carried. A2Z’s RDST (its purpose-built cargo drone that comes with the Rapid Delivery System winch installed) offers the range of a nine-mile round trip. The distance does vary depending on the cargo – however, on the RDST and most drones being used for these types of mission, batteries can be easily swapped at the base, prolonging their operational usage per day.

According to Dr Andrew Kirkpatrick of Alberta Health Services and the TeleMentored Ultrasound Supported Medical Interventions (TMUSMI) Research Group: “The applications for drone-borne remote medical assistance are unlimited, and potentially life-saving in emergency situations like a stranded hiker having sustained injuries. Obviously, it takes valuable time for rescuers to deploy, locate and triage a victim. With remote medical assistance, we believe we could buy those rescuers more time to reach victims and extract them to a trauma center. With our partners at SAIT, we have also been testing additional applications for the drone-based remote medical treatment.”

The applications for drone-borne remote medical assistance are unlimited, and potentially life-saving

In expanded testing of this remote medical assistance concept, SAIT researchers delivered a portable ultrasound machine to a patient in a remote community. The medical telementor was able to successfully talk the patient through remote imaging of their own lungs and spleen. The application would bring real-time medical care to remote communities, where traveling to city centers for medical care can be difficult or impossible.

Results

Leveraging the tethered delivery capabilities of the Rapid Delivery System, SAIT researchers were able to confirm a successful proof-of-concept for its remote medical assistance testing. By safely and efficiently fulfilling deliveries from altitude, the researchers also demonstrated that RPAS platforms could be used to expand the use of remote medical care beyond simple SAR operations to more intricate medical procedures.

As SAIT researchers continue to push the boundaries of RPAS applications, the research team is now conducting tests with the second generation Rapid Delivery System (the RDS2). With its expanded payload capacity and flexible options, the researchers are able to transport larger and heavier payloads, opening up numerous new use cases for their partners. The second generation RSD2 can deliver payloads up to 10kg/22lb, the highest capacity on the market. It can also retrieve payloads up to 5kg from a hover. So, the new generation winch opens the door to larger and heavier medical equipment to be brought to the field.

“Many of the capabilities of the latest generation Rapid Delivery System are allowing us to explore new use cases,” said Adam Batchelor of the Centre for Innovation and Research in Unmanned Systems at SAIT. “If we end up in a scenario where the tether gets hung up in the trees, we can abandon the tether and still fly the drone back home. So, a lot of good scenarios have been opened up by the second-generation winch.” The second generation RDS2 can also carry any off-the-shelf box, eliminating the need for specialty delivery containers.