CALADRIUS

Mission

Life-saving deliveries, whenever, wherever.

The challenge

When medical emergencies occur, teams of first responders need specialized medical equipment and supplies to be able to administer life-saving treatments. This equipment cannot always be carried by first-responders, as emergency situations are unpredictable and the aid required can only be truly assesed on-site. Existing land-based transportation solutions are vulnerable to infrastructure-related issues: congestion, maintenance or accidents can lead to delays which directly impact patient survival rates and can lead to avoidable complications. A more resilient solution is thus desirable.

The solution

Our aim is to develop a radio-controlled aircraft with vertical-take-off-and-landing (VTOL) capability that combines the superior maximum speed of a fixed-wing aircraft with the versatility of a quadcopter drone. It will have sufficient cargo capacity to transport a variety of medical payload. Flying enables it to bypass traffic, crucial in emergency operations, and VTOL makes its launch and retrieval possible from rooftops while retaining a superior speed vis-a-vis quadcopters. This type of vehicle requires little to no infrastructure to be operated, which allows for rapid deployment and integration into existing first-response systems.