After successfully implementing drone deliveries of life-saving defibrillators (AED), Swedish firm Everdrone is set to improve its aerial first response capabilities with the launch of a new multipurpose E2 drone.
The E2 drone will be able to carry both an advanced camera system as well as customizable medical kits – a combination that represents a true game-changer for first responders and a revolution for emergency dispatch, enabling response times of two minutes on average.
The autonomous all-weather drone has a cruising speed of 23 m/s and an operational range of 8 km (about 5 miles). In addition, it boasts a payload capacity of 3 kg, accommodating a sensor system and a MedKit.
From emergency services distress signal to lift-off, it takes a mere 15 seconds. Combined with predictive analysis of drone grid performance, the E2 enables response times of two minutes on average.
When emergencies or accidents occur, every second counts and Everdrone has proven its capability to navigate to the scene of the incident faster than any ambulance or other responder, the company says. Once on site, the E2 drone offers a broader range of potential treatments with its larger, more diversified, and customizable medical payloads.
Under Everdrone’s First on Scene service, the MediKits paired with onboard LiveView cameras transmit real-time high-resolution and IR images to medical experts remotely overseeing first response intervention.
“The advantages the E2 drone and its increase in payload capability makes possible are massive,” says Everdrone CEO Mats Sällström. “The LiveView capability offers first responders the information needed to make critical assessment decisions that will help with prioritization and increase the safety of on-site responders. To this, we add the possibility of direct deliveries of anything from AEDs to EPI pens and anti-bleeding kits or other vital medical equipment.”
The company says the high level of autonomy, all-weather operation, and advanced safety features make Everdrone’s service designed to operate in just about all areas in Europe, with a potential reach of more than 99% of all urban inhabitants in Europe.
In 2021, Everdrone partnered with researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden to test drone delivery of defibrillators to actual heart attack sufferers. The Everdrone First on Scene, with drone deliveries of AED units, has received positive reviews, validated in Sweden and Denmark. It is now set to be implemented into the response services of Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) in the UK.
“The combination of live-view and flexible emergency delivery capabilities will not only allow us to provide time-critical assistance to a broader range of patients but will also potentially help our service to preplan and scale responses effectively, all of which has the potential to lead to improved outcomes for our patients,” says Leigh Curtis, MBE, Executive Director of Service Delivery at KSS.
Everdrone’s unique E2 drone system is developed in cooperation with Clogworks and will be available for orders today and expected live operational from Q2 2024.
