<p>A public health centre in Maweit village of Meghalaya's West Khasi Hills district on Friday received medicines from Nongstoin district hospital in about 25 minutes — a process that usually takes four hours — thanks to a drone delivery system.</p>.<p>Hybrid e-VTOLs [Vertical Take-Off and Landing Vehicles] of TechEagle, a Gurugram-based tech start-up, which partnered with the Meghalaya government and Smart Village Movement, an NGO, carried out the country's first hybrid e-VTOL drone delivery of lifesaving medicines to the village.</p>.<p>Doctors at Nongstoin district hospital handed over the medicines to TechEagle's team, following which an e-VTOL drone, AquilaX2, took off vertically like a helicopter and then transformed into a fixed-wing mode upon reaching the mission height. The drone covered an aerial distance of 25 kilometres at 90kmph speed to reach Maweit PHC in 25 minutes. </p>.<p>Lauding the successful use of drone technology for the delivery of medicines in a hard-to-reach village, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said the government would try to use the same for the benefit of agriculture and allied sectors. </p>.<p><strong>Also Read — <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/south/telangana-uses-drones-for-inspection-of-extra-high-tension-power-lines-towers-1051434.html" target="_blank">Telangana uses drones for inspection of extra high tension power lines, towers</a></strong></p>.<p>Founder and CEO of TechEagle, Vikram Singh Meena, said, “Aerial routes are the best possible ways to access hard-to-reach places in hilly terrains of the Northeast. Today, we are proud of the fact that TechEagle’s made in India Hybrid e-VTOL is solving grassroots problems faced by citizens living in a remote area. We have reduced delivery time from four hours to 25 minutes. e-VTOL drone technology is going to leave a huge impact to enable better healthcare in the remotest parts of the world.”</p>.<p>The start-up, which is building a drone logistics airline, is focussing on consistent, safe and reliable distribution of life-saving drugs (medicines, vaccines, blood and other medical essentials) in several parts of the state with the reverse logistics of samples for quick diagnosis. </p>.<p>Hybrid e-VTOLs are Vertical Take-Off and Landing Vehicles that take off vertically like a helicopter and transform into fixed-wing objects (like a passenger aircraft) for travelling longer distances at high speeds. Upon reaching its destination, the drone returns to the helicopter mode for landing. TechEagle’s in-house e-VTOLs, Aquila X2, has been developed such that it can operate in varied geographical conditions, including the mountainous Northeast, the company said. </p>.<p>Maweit is a village with a population of around 600 population, under Nongstoin block in West Khasi Hills district. Transportation of essential items takes a lot of time due to poor road connectivity. </p>.<p>Tulenam Laloo, project lead (healthcare), Smart Village Movement, said, “The use of drone-based deliveries in healthcare is a promising means to augment supply chain management and support last-mile access. Meghalaya and other Northeastern states would immensely benefit from its application, considering the unique terrain.”</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>
<p>A public health centre in Maweit village of Meghalaya's West Khasi Hills district on Friday received medicines from Nongstoin district hospital in about 25 minutes — a process that usually takes four hours — thanks to a drone delivery system.</p>.<p>Hybrid e-VTOLs [Vertical Take-Off and Landing Vehicles] of TechEagle, a Gurugram-based tech start-up, which partnered with the Meghalaya government and Smart Village Movement, an NGO, carried out the country's first hybrid e-VTOL drone delivery of lifesaving medicines to the village.</p>.<p>Doctors at Nongstoin district hospital handed over the medicines to TechEagle's team, following which an e-VTOL drone, AquilaX2, took off vertically like a helicopter and then transformed into a fixed-wing mode upon reaching the mission height. The drone covered an aerial distance of 25 kilometres at 90kmph speed to reach Maweit PHC in 25 minutes. </p>.<p>Lauding the successful use of drone technology for the delivery of medicines in a hard-to-reach village, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said the government would try to use the same for the benefit of agriculture and allied sectors. </p>.<p><strong>Also Read — <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/south/telangana-uses-drones-for-inspection-of-extra-high-tension-power-lines-towers-1051434.html" target="_blank">Telangana uses drones for inspection of extra high tension power lines, towers</a></strong></p>.<p>Founder and CEO of TechEagle, Vikram Singh Meena, said, “Aerial routes are the best possible ways to access hard-to-reach places in hilly terrains of the Northeast. Today, we are proud of the fact that TechEagle’s made in India Hybrid e-VTOL is solving grassroots problems faced by citizens living in a remote area. We have reduced delivery time from four hours to 25 minutes. e-VTOL drone technology is going to leave a huge impact to enable better healthcare in the remotest parts of the world.”</p>.<p>The start-up, which is building a drone logistics airline, is focussing on consistent, safe and reliable distribution of life-saving drugs (medicines, vaccines, blood and other medical essentials) in several parts of the state with the reverse logistics of samples for quick diagnosis. </p>.<p>Hybrid e-VTOLs are Vertical Take-Off and Landing Vehicles that take off vertically like a helicopter and transform into fixed-wing objects (like a passenger aircraft) for travelling longer distances at high speeds. Upon reaching its destination, the drone returns to the helicopter mode for landing. TechEagle’s in-house e-VTOLs, Aquila X2, has been developed such that it can operate in varied geographical conditions, including the mountainous Northeast, the company said. </p>.<p>Maweit is a village with a population of around 600 population, under Nongstoin block in West Khasi Hills district. Transportation of essential items takes a lot of time due to poor road connectivity. </p>.<p>Tulenam Laloo, project lead (healthcare), Smart Village Movement, said, “The use of drone-based deliveries in healthcare is a promising means to augment supply chain management and support last-mile access. Meghalaya and other Northeastern states would immensely benefit from its application, considering the unique terrain.”</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>