Tech

This secretive startup could save lives in the most remote places

Melia Robinson

2016-05-09T11:00:00Z

zipline international drone ranch 8121 — Keenan Wyrobek, cofounder of Zipline International, holds a box of supplies by the parachute after it drops from a prototype of the company's drone. Melia Robinson

The Zipline International headquarters sit on a patch of farmland that clings to the California coast. On a single day, there's rain, sunshine, high winds, and fog. It sits out of sight of any roads or cities.

The conditions are just perfect for the stealth startup's purposes: to design and test a drone that will someday deliver medical supplies to the most remote areas of the world, in all types of weather.

A staggering 95% of all roads in Africa wash out annually, making it nearly impossible for patients in some developing countries to receive the medical supplies they need when they actually need them.

Zipline wants to replace traditional modes of transportation with drones, potentially offering an affordable, efficient, and reliable means of aid. On May 9, the company announced a partnership with UPS, allowing it to work on the technology necessary to drop vaccines and antivenom via drone by the end of 2016.

Tech Insider recently toured the top-secret Zipline headquarters to see the life-saving drone in action.

This little guy — a drone that looks more like a character from the "Cars" spinoff movie "Planes" than a quadcopter — could be the future of the healthcare industry.

In Rwanda, some 30,000 people receive blood transfusions annually for postpartum hemorrhaging, severe anemia due to malaria infection, and other fatal conditions.

kenya africa sick child hand held iv drip health clinic hospital — A mother holds the hand of her sick child at a clinic in Kenya. Schalk van Zuydam/AP

Typically, a hospital worker will drive two hours to the nearest blood bank to collect donations, if the roads are passable. Storms often wipe out roads in rural areas.

rwanda refugee camp — In this Tuesday, April 21, 2015 file photo, Burundian refugee children stand in the mud near to tents holding hundreds of other refugees who have fled from Burundi, at the Gashora refugee camp in the Bugesera district of Rwanda. Rwanda's government said Friday, Feb. 12, 2016 that it plans to relocate Burundian refugees to other countries following accusations that it is harboring and training rebels opposed to the Burundian government. Edmund Kagire/AP

It's a logistical nightmare. Keller Rinaudo, CEO of Zipline, says he wants to "eliminate the 'lack of roads' excuse" so that local clinics may save more lives.

zipline international drone ranch 8228 — The Tanzania, US, and Rwanda flags hang in the Zipline International workshop. Melia Robinson

The company poached employees from SpaceX, Google, NASA, and Boeing, and spent more than four years in stealth developing a fleet of autonomous vehicles.

The prototype they're showing off today can fly 150 miles round-trip on a single battery charge. It flies between 50 and 85 miles per hour.

When a clinic needs blood, it calls in an order from a central transfusion center. Zipline hopes to install 21 on-site delivery hubs, like this one, by July.

zipline international drone ranch 8073 — The delivery hubs are made of shipping containers. Melia Robinson

Up to three pounds of medical supplies may be stored in Zipline's proprietary packaging, which has a coating that protects it from rain and mud.

The package is spring-loaded into the belly of the drone, and it's ready for take-off.

A Zipline employee in a t-shirt and ball cap passes around safety goggles, smiling nervously. "We're flying off code we wrote yesterday," he says.

Another young guy loads the drone into a catapult-like device — a technology Zipline has patented. The countdown begins.

On an iPad, he performs a final checklist. Systems are a-go.

With the push of a launch button, the drone zips into the cold coastal air.

Cofounder and head of product and engineering Keenan Wyrobek leads a group of reporters on a walk to track the drop. "Watch out for cow pies," he warns.

The drone makes a loud whirring noise like an electric hand dryer as it whizzes overhead. Wyrobek says the company is working on education materials for doctors and patients to help the public understand what the drone is.

Though the drone may operate in 90% of weather conditions, it's not immune to wear and tear. The company has no plans to place its employees at the blood banks, which puts IT support in short supply.

Still, most components in the build have back-up parts for redundancy. Wyrobek says it could fly even with a broken propeller.

Back at the hub, employees track the drone from an iPad app. While it flies autonomously, the health workers could take control at any time.

As the drone nears its designated drop site, called Cow Country, the propellers quiet and it loses altitude. With a dim popping noise, the package releases.

Without ever touching the ground, the drone begins its return trip. Meanwhile, we hunt down the package.

The parachute feels like wax paper. The entire packaging costs less than $1 and is reusable, Wyrobek says.

Its contents — a blood bag of red food coloring and tissue paper — remain in pristine condition.

Wyrobek calls the drone system a "magically simple solution." They're working to quiet the propellers and attach solar panels for more sustainable energy.

People don't wait for good weather to get sick. Zipline could provide a life-saving solution those who are hardest to reach.

Drones Medicine