RALEIGH – The N.C. Department of Transportation’s innovative drone program has earned another award, this time for the use of drones to deliver medical supplies and the positive environmental impact the initiative will have in the future.
The Cleantech Innovation Awards was organized this year to recognize and honor the individuals and organizations driving cleantech innovation and deployment in the Triangle region. The Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster, an industry-led initiative focused on accelerating clean technology, organized the awards program.
The NCDOT program won the Transportation Innovation Award, awarded to a transportation or mobility project that uses innovative cleantech solutions to create positive impacts for environment, economy, and residents.
“This award proves just how much potential this program has,” Said Basil Yap, manager of NCDOT’s drone program. “Not only will it transform the future of medical logistics, we could see a lasting positive impact on our environment as well.”
NCDOT’s pioneering use of drones in medical deliveries is the first step towards the more regular use of drones to deliver goods of all kinds in the future, potentially removing vehicles from the roads and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. Since taking flight in March of this year, medical samples and supplies have been delivered more than 1,600 times by drone across the WakeMed campus in Raleigh.
