Drone station

Delivery drone specialist Matternet has unveiled its new “Matternet Station” – which will effectively operate as an automated base station where drones can exchange batteries and payloads before moving onto their next destination. In a statement issued today (20 September), Matternet said that the first Matternet Stations will “service healthcare systems in Switzerland to automate on-demand transportation of blood and pathology samples between hospital facilities”.

The Matternet Station occupies a footprint of approximately 2 square metres and can be installed at ground or rooftop locations.

According to Matternet: “It is equipped with technology that guides the Matternet M2 Drone to precision landing on the Station’s platform. After landing, the Station locks the drone in place and automatically swaps its battery and payload. A user is able to send a package to another location by simply scanning it into the Matternet Station, or receive a package from the Station by scanning a QR code. Each Station comes with its own automated aerial deconfliction system that manages drone traffic over the Station.”