UPS delivers COVID-19 vaccines via temperature-controlled drone

The delivery of the COVID-19 vaccines is a notoriously fickle process. The vaccines need to be kept within a precise temperature range. If they fluctuate too far from the range, the whole batch could be a loss.

UPS said its Matternet M2 drone used for the delivery has been outfitted with special packaging that will help it to maintain temperatures of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius. And a temperature monitor aboard the drone will notify the users if there are any temperature diversions, according to UPS. When shipments have left the appropriate temperature range in the past it has required a replacement shipment to be sent.

Healthcare was one of the first industries to take up drone deliveries in recent years. The Federal Aviation Administration’s drone pilot program that began in 2017 included efforts around healthcare deliveries. And UPS has been focusing on healthcare as a potential use for drones since the early days of its Flight Forward business, which it launched in 2019.