Manna already has a number of commercial tie-ups in Ireland with the likes of Uber, JustEat and Deliveroo.
Manna’s drones simulated deliveries between Dublin’s Rotunda and Connolly hospitals today (13 March), in a trial that hopes to encourage drone adoption in healthcare.
The partners want to demonstrate the potential in transporting blood and other life-saving medical supplies speedily using small aerial vehicles.
Manna rival Wing has previously trialled transporting medical supplies with the UK’s National Health Service in London, finding that transportation times between Guy’s Hospital and St Thomas’s Hospital were reduced from 30 minutes to two minutes when drones were used.
Last year, in a joint project in collaboration with the HSE, the National Ambulance Service and Community First Responders, Manna demonstrated how defibrillators could be delivered to homes much faster using drones than ambulances, while a previous study in Sweden found that drones beat ambulances to the patient 70pc of the time.
“Today’s simulation is a glimpse of that future,” commented Rotunda Hospital’s laboratory manager John O’Loughlin. “The ability to move blood, samples and other critical supplies between hospitals at speed could transform how we support emergency and planned care in Ireland.”
Manna’s CEO Bobby Healy added: “We’ve proven this technology works at scale. What we’re showing now is how it can be applied in healthcare, where minutes matter. Ireland is well-placed to lead the way, and this simulation is about building trust and momentum toward full integration.”
Manna already has a number of commercial tie-ups in Ireland with the likes of Uber, JustEat and Deliveroo to deliver food and other small goods to suburban communities.
Last year, it expanded its focus from Dublin and announced an entry into Cork’s airspace. Overall, it claims to have made more than 250,000 successful deliveries to date.
The 2019-founded company announced a $30m raise last year. Its backers include Tapestry VC, Molten Ventures, Coca-Cola and Dynamo Ventures.
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