Coventry City Council has announced that it will to examine whether drones could help cities with emergency medical deliveries.
The URBAN ASCENT project which also involves Coventry City Council, Skyfarer, The Manufacturing Technology Centre and Slink-Tech, will look into whether drones could be used to deliver critical medical supplies.
It will also seek to create maps of city structures, speed up disaster response, support search and rescue missions and provide communication in remote areas.
Funded by a government grant, supporting work that will help develop next-generation aviation technologies, it is hoped URBAN ASCENT will help establish Coventry and the UK as a hub for urban aerial logistics and sustainable aviation.
Coventry University’s role in the project is to examine whether the use of drones for specific uses within urban environments is commercially feasible.
Coventry City Council cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change, Jim O’Boyle said: “Drones are already proving that they can support work in controlled environments – including tasks such as observing traffic movements and investigating bridge structures.
“The next step is to see if this can transfer to a larger and maybe even commercial scale. It’s great we are working with local partners on this project – it’s a great fit with the city’s pioneering role in innovation.”
