Army Testing Drones For Medical Logistics.

• Author: Easley, Mikayla
• Position: NEWS BRIEFS

* The Army is testing drones and autonomous technology that could deliver life-saving medical supplies to the battlefield.

During test flights held at Fort Pickett, Virginia, in August, Pittsburgh-based Near Earth Autonomy integrated its autonomous flight systems onto an L3Harrisbuilt FVR-90 hybrid vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial vehicle. The flights demonstrated how the drone could be used to send supplies back and forth across hundreds of miles, the companies said.

During the demonstrations, the FVR-90 and Near Earth's systems underwent multiple scenarios to test how they could deliver supplies. Near Earth's sensors were able to find unobstructed areas for the drone to land, according to a news release. When landing wasn't possible, the supply pods were dropped from a low altitude or released higher up via parachutes, it said.

Research began after military personnel expressed interest in the technology, said Nathan Fisher, chief of the medical robotic and autonomous systems division at the Army's Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center.

"They really had this desire to use UAVs as a more efficient way to resupply operational units that are kind of far forward in the field at austere environments," Fisher said.

The autonomy systems built by Near Earth allow the unmanned aircraft to fly to designated coordinates and scan the environment using onboard sensors to determine the optimal supply delivery location, said Sanjiv Singh, the company's CEO.

Along with the ability for vertical launch and recovery, the FVR-90...