Nevada drone delivery firm Flirtey and healthcare platform Vault Health have successfully conducted drone deliveries of the first FDA authorised saliva-based Covid-19 test.

In November 2020, Flirtey and Vault Health announced a partnership to test drone delivery of the at-home saliva-based Covid-19 test. Using Flirtey’s drones to deliver the test kits to homes helps eliminate exposure risks and creates further convenience, especially for those who do not live in proximity to on-site testing locations. Flirtey has now successfully conducted drone deliveries of at-home Covid-19 test kits.

The test kits were carried by a Flirtey Eagle delivery drone, which autonomously hovered and lowered the test kits using Flirtey’s delivery mechanism. The drone enabled safe delivery of the packages into the backyard of a residential area in northern Nevada.

Once the packages were delivered, the local residents accessed a secure video call with a health professional to supervise their saliva sample collection for the test. Drone delivery of the test kits was faster than traditional mail, reducing the shipping process by up to 48 hours, which could lead to quicker results and reduce risk of asymptomatic spread.

“Our mission is to save lives and improve lifestyles by making delivery instant for everyone,” said Flirtey CEO Matthew Sweeny. “Conducting drone deliveries of at-home Covid-19 test kits with Vault Health is another huge step towards our mission. Flirtey has built the best-in-class drone delivery system for last-mile delivery. As we expand our testing programmes, we are working closely with the FAA on type certification, which will enable wide-scale use of our technology for commercial and life-saving applications.”

New York-based Vault Health is a healthcare platform that supports the provision of care management, telemedicine, e-prescribing and in-home diagnostics. The digital healthcare tools are designed to tackle modern medical use cases, including individual care, population health and clinical trials.

The Vault digital healthcare toolkit supports on-demand telehealth consultations and sample supervision, patient and provider communications, in-person and remote appointment management, longitudinal care management, and beyond.

“Our goal at Vault has always been to expand access to Covid-19 testing so everyone can get a test when they need one,” said Jason Feldman, CEO of Vault Health. “Flirtey helps expand on our innovations to make our already fast turnaround time, even faster.”

Flirtey is an aerospace technology company that provides full-stack drone delivery technology. The company made history in 2015 when it conducted the first ever FAA-approved drone delivery. In the years that followed, Flirtey says it has gone on to become the first company to perform an autonomous drone delivery to a home, the first to perform a commercial drone delivery, and the first to pioneer AED drone delivery in the USA.