Time saves lives

Labor Berlin and Matternet are planning the first urban BVLOS network for the delivery of medical materials via drones in the European Union. The aim is to transport diagnostic samples – including blood samples – from various Charité and Vivantes healthcare facilities to Berlin’s central laboratory at the Charité Campus Virchow-Klinikum (CVK) for testing. The program includes the drone transport of medical samples along a predetermined flight path, which is monitored by a specially trained Matternet drone operator, to a fixed landing site at Labor Berlin’s central laboratory. Currently, more than 18,000 samples are transported daily to the central laboratory via Labor Berlin’s extensive laboratory network, mainly by courier trips, the travel times of which are heavily dependent on the volume of traffic. For medical emergencies requiring special diagnostics in the central laboratory, individual sample transport is carried out to ensure rapid analysis and optimal clinical results. Around 600 such special trips have to be made each month.

The expansion of sample transportation to include transport by drone makes it possible to avoid delays on the road and increase the efficiency of medical care. In addition, the addition of fast, predictable air transport means that Labor Berlin’s facilities can be networked to provide the best possible service without incurring additional costs for operating widely dispersed laboratory infrastructures.

Matternet requires at least one pilot and one flight director for active use. Depending on the mission requirements, this minimum crew can optionally be supplemented by an external mission control team and any number of safety pilots and observers. Active flight crew members maintain constant contact during a flight operation via appropriate real-time and asynchronous channels (i.e. mobile conferencing and private chat channels). The drones operate fully automatically. As soon as the pilot selects the target and issues a take-off command, the drone automatically follows the programmed course and lands at the corresponding target. However, the pilot can interrupt the flight at any time and command the drone to hold its position or return to the starting point. The drones are monitored at a central location by a flight controller who keeps an eye on other air traffic, monitors the weather and ensures that the drones are working properly.

Initially, diagnostic samples for laboratory tests will be transported from hospital sites to the central laboratory at the Charité Campus Virchow-Klinikum (CVK).

The transport case on the drone has a capacity of 4 liters. The drone can carry a maximum weight of 2 kg.

Including loading and unloading the drone, it takes around 15 minutes from Charité Campus Benjamin Franklin. It covers a flight distance of around 11 km to the laboratory.

There is a detailed emergency management plan to deal with emergencies or possible disruptions in flight. This includes response and recovery protocols as well as safety SOPs to ensure that a hazard can be ruled out:

• The Matternet M2 has more than 20,000 commercial medical and fully completed deliveries in Switzerland and the United States.
• The M2 has a parachute system that enables a safe landing in the event of a malfunction.
• The M2 also has a so-called “geofence”, which triggers the parachute if the drone veers off course
• The Matternet M2 is a certified aircraft.
• The routes are chosen so that the drone has to fly over people and important infrastructure as little as possible.
• Matternet uses a health condition monitoring system to detect failures before they occur.

Authorizations for flights beyond visual line of sight are based on the European drone laws (Regulation (EU) 2019/945 and 2019/947). Both the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA) and the Gemeinsame Obere Luftfahrtbehörde Berlin-Brandenburg (LuBB) are involved in the approval process for Labor Berlin.

This depends on the technical defect: the operators receive messages about certain deviations in the system and can then intervene and execute programmed commands if necessary. (e.g. emergency landing, return home, etc.). If the defect means that the drone cannot stay in the air, the drone has a parachute system tested to ASTM standards, which ensures that the drone glides down slowly. The drone also has a loud siren to warn people on the ground in the event of a parachute landing.

The drones have been developed and tested for adverse weather conditions and can be used in wind speeds of up to 30 km/h and in up to moderate rain and snow. The drones are not designed to fly in hail or icy weather conditions such as freezing rain. Drones must not be flown in the following conditions:

• Winds over 30 km/h; gusts over 45 km/h.
• Visible moisture at or near the flight altitude.
• Clouds, unlike dense fog, are not a problem for the drone.
• Low visibility.
• Thunderstorms in the vicinity (within 20 km of any point on the route at take-off time).

The drones use GPS navigation and therefore fly very accurately. They also have two separate GPS receivers so that the flight can continue even if one receiver fails. Another security aspect is the geofence. It ensures that the drone stays on the programmed course. When it veers off course, it deploys the parachute and ends the flight.

The communication link with the drone is protected by multiple forms of encryption, including industry-standard 256-bit SHA. Two-factor authentication is also required for commands to the vehicle.

The Matternet M2 drone flies at a speed of 70 km/h.

Labor Berlin and Matternet will triple seal the samples according to UN3373 standards. The payload box is manufactured using carbon fiber and nylon for maximum durability and minimum weight. Its design promotes easy insertion into and removal from the drone and accommodates a variety of cargo sizes and shapes. The box is certified according to UN3373 standards for the transportation of blood and pathology samples.