Supply chain logistics play a vital role in our healthcare services, from the ordering and delivery of medication to transporting samples for analysis at laboratories.  Small-scale drones have the potential to transform the efficiency of these processes, improving outcomes for patients, reducing costs and cutting CO2 emissions. UK company Apian has become the first to trial drone services in London airspace for the National Health Service (NHS), supported by  ESA’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) Programme and the UK Space Agency, with the aim of providing faster, smarter and greener healthcare logistics.     

The NHS is Europe’s largest employer and the supply chain which underpins their services can be problematic and costly.  Currently, the NHS is responsible for 4% of all UK road travel, contributing to traffic congestion which causes delivery delays, reduces road safety  and increases CO2 emissions. Adopting drones to deliver medical supplies, pathology samples, and equipment instead of vans offers a fast, cost-effective and sustainable alternative.  Over 300,000 patients have at least one test each day in England and Wales, providing immense scope for the adoption of drone technology in healthcare. Drone logistics dramatically increase the turnaround of laboratory results, supporting patient care as well as  inventory optimisation by reducing overstocking and waste. 

The Apian team spent considerable time gathering information in the hospital environment, including Blackrock Clinic and St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Dublin and at Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London, in order to seamlessly integrate their platform into existing workflows and processes. The platform, which has been developed with support from Project Dreadnought, enables health professionals to schedule, order and track deliveries in real-time with an unprecedented level of traceability. Apian have worked closely with healthcare providers, regulators and drone operators to ensure effective functionality and regulatory compliance.               

Arnaud Runge, Technical Officer for ESA on the project, said “we are excited to be working with Apian in the development of Apian’s platform through Project Dreadnought and supporting their groundbreaking use of drones in the health service.  Their revolutionary service not only increases efficiency for both patient and NHS staff but also reduces costs and the environmental impact of the NHS supply chain.”

Apian has conducted operations in rural and urban areas with pilots in Northumbria, the Isle of Wight, Dublin and London, increasing efficiency and receiving positive feedback from users. In Dublin, where Apian’s trial is now complete, flights took an average of 4 minutes 12 seconds and drones saved more than 118kg of CO₂.          

Amy Labrum, Director of Operations at Apian, said: “Apian is bringing on-demand drone delivery to healthcare, helping to solve the productivity problem with automated, more efficient and resilient logistics. We are grateful for the support of the ESA through Project Dreadnought, which has helped us to improve healthcare logistics for the benefit of staff and patients.”

The service integrates satellite navigation, communication and imagery to streamline medical supply chains, reduce carbon emissions, and enhance patient outcomes. The potential for drones to transform healthcare delivery is considerable – not only in accelerating and facilitating emergency responses, telemedicine and remote care, but also in improving health service logistics and supply chains.

In 2023, the global healthcare logistics market was valued at $92B, and the success of Project Dreadnought helps place Apian at the forefront of transforming the industry as they scale their service commercially. They are already in discussions to expand the service with the NHS as well as working with leading industry stakeholders across the world.

The West Midlands became the epicentre of a very different kind of traffic at the European Space Agency (ESA)’s Space for Intermodal Transport Workshop held at the impressive Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre in Dudley, UK. In the heart of the English ‘Black Country’, this area has a rich industrial heritage and was a fitting venue for innovative solution developers and stakeholders to discover ways to harness satellite data to transform the future of intermodal transport.

The one-day session was hosted in partnership with the Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation (BCIMO) as part of the Clean Futures Catalyst. ESA’s Business Applications and Space Solutions (BASS) programme, Connected Places Catapult, and Coventry University came together to emphasise the importance of finding positive ways to enhance intermodal transport operations.

Intermodal transportation is the process of moving cargo or passengers using multiple modes of transport. This presents numerous challenges, including coordinating these different modes of transportation, ensuring standardisation, managing tracking and collaborating with stakeholders. The workshop participants, representing multiple sectors, explored how satellite data and advanced technologies could be integrated to create seamless and innovative business processes for intermodal transport systems.

The event welcomed experts from the space, logistics, and transport sectors, along with representatives from technology companies to explore innovative strategies. Attendees explored how they could work together by using satellite data and advanced space technologies to develop partnerships and cutting-edge competitive solutions to some of the efficiency and sustainability challenges faced by the transport sector.

Liz Barrow, Land Mobility Lead at ESA BASS, explained how everyone in attendance could have a role to play in driving innovation through ESA’s Space for Intermodal Transport Funding Call. “The discussions and insightful speakers at the event truly highlighted the potential benefits that BASS can facilitate for the future of sustainable intermodal transport solutions,” said Mrs. Barrow. “The connections made during the workshop were invaluable, leaving us all feeling very optimistic about the future interactions and partnerships.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

The guest speakers at the event outlined how BASS funding enables projects to pioneer sustainable and future-proof transport solutions for all. Andrew Tewkesbury, Solutions Consultant at Airbus Defence and Space, highlighted the success of the LUCI project, which pioneers land use change detection for railways, thanks to the previous BASS Space for Rail funding call. “The guidance we received from the BASS programme was an absolute gamechanger,” said Dr. Tewkesbury. He reassured attendees that despite Great Britain being a “very cloudy country,” they were still able to obtain the high-resolution images needed for adjacent land use change identification. “We are excited about the future possibilities this collaboration opens for us,” he added.

 

Matthias Gropp, Director at Murphy Geospatial, shared insights around the impact of space technology on their geospatial monitoring project. “Space technology was necessary to complete our project. Otherwise, it would have taken a lot longer,” he said. Reflecting on his humble beginnings using his local church spire, for geospatial guidance, Gropp added, “Space data and its capabilities were mind-blowing when I was younger, and they still are thirty years later.”

During the day, participants were given the opportunity to tour the centre, where they came face to face with some of the inspiring projects currently being put forward, most of which have never been showcased outside of a laboratory before. Projects like Treeva, which generates renewable energy from passing transport, were among those that sparked significant intrigue. The enthusiasm from the pitching companies fueled many subsequent conversations about collaboration.

Paul Bhatia, ESA BASS UK Ambassador for the Midlands and Northern England, and Master of Ceremonies for the event, encouraged everyone in attendance to make the most of this important opportunity for learning, funding, and networking, encouraging stakeholders to work together towards a sustainable future.

The workshop facilitated matchmaking between developers and stakeholders during the designated networking sessions, creating opportunities for future collaboration. The participants were divided into separate groups for efficient and informative discussions, ensuring that everyone had the opportunity to meet all the participants. The diverse range of projects and discussions left participants feeling optimistic about the future interactions and partnerships that will continue to emerge from the BASS programme.

Space for Intermodal Transport Funding Call

ESA BASS are looking for innovative ideas that leverage space data and advanced technologies to enhance intermodal transport. This includes solutions that address environmental sustainability, efficiency, flexibility, and safety. Examples of supported ideas include:

• Environmental Sustainability: Reducing road congestion and optimising transport choices to minimise emissions. 

• Efficiency and Flexibility: Implementing advanced tracking systems and demand-responsive transport models to create seamless and cost-effective operations. Using satellite positioning, navigation and timing technologies and IoT devices for real-time updates on the location of passengers and goods can propose alternative transport combinations.

• Safety: Ensuring reliable communication in low-connectivity areas and minimising handling of goods to reduce risks of theft or damage.

ESA BASS invites proposals that demonstrate market potential, viable service concepts, technical feasibility, and value from space data or technology.

Find out more about the Funding Call