After a year of working with the Federal Aviation Administration, United Parcel Service was awarded a certification that allows it to use drones on medical campuses.
The certification will allow U.P.S. to use multiple drones to deliver health care supplies within federal regulations and to fly drones beyond the visual line of sight.
For the past year, U.P.S. has been collaborating with the F.A.A. flying drones at the WakeMed campus in Raleigh, N.C., delivering medical packages including blood samples and tissues to different buildings on the property. During its yearlong trial period, U.P.S. flew about 1,000 single-operator drone flights.
This is the first step to being able to enable deliveries to homes and rural areas. The F.A.A. certification comes at a time when the United States is making a push to remain at the forefront of unmanned aviation.