By Scott Simmie

We’re pleased to reveal more details or our partnership with UBC on a pilot project that will deliver medical supplies to two remote communities in northern British Columbia beginning in 2026.

We first announced our involvement in this post – but InDro Robotics Founder and CEO Philip Reece unveiled more details during a recent online seminar hosted by CAN Health Network, a national partnership between healthcare organisations and private companies with a collective goal of introducing new solutions into the healthcare system while scaling those businesses.

There’s long been a disparity in access to healthcare between urban and rural or isolated communities. Residents in those remote communities often face greater barriers to accessing lab services, timely medication and diagnostic results. The sheer physical distance from more fully-equipped healthcare settings is a big part of the problem, though socioeconomic status can also play a role.

“When it comes to rural remote communities, which spans over 50 per cent of First Nation communities in BC, that means patients still face the geographic constraints in accessing their diagnostic tests, their medication, and all sorts of things that are very important to their patient journey,” Sandy Lee, Senior Project Manager on the UBC’s Faculty of Medicine Drone Transport Initiative, told the seminar.

This pilot project will assess the benefits that longer-range drone delivery can provide, along with what kinds of deliveries are most beneficial to patients. It will also be a chance for InDro to test out some new technology that will help enable safe Beyond Visual Line of Sight Flights.

Below: A screengrab during Philip Reece’s CAN Health Network presentation

SAFE BVLOS

As you likely know, BVLOS stands for Beyond Visual Line of Sight – meaning the drone is operating farther than the operator can see. New Transport Canada regulations will permit routine, low-risk BVLOS flights after November 4, 2025 providing the operator holds a Level 1 Complex RPAS Certificate and all other regs are met.

In this pilot project, drones will carry supplies between Prince George and two remote locations: The Village of Fraser Lake, as well as the Stellat’en First Nation. Initially, the project will focus on transporting personal protective equipment and laboratory test swabs before expanding to include prescription medications and other supplies – including blood products.

But BVLOS, particularly the longer-range BVLOS these missions will require, is not a slam-dunk.

“We’re going to fly over some 200 kilometres of airspace,” Reece told the seminar. “It’s maybe a two or three-hour flight, and the drone will encounter all sorts of things during that flight and we need to ensure the airspace is safe. The airspace they fly in may be busy at times  – we might have helicopters or sea planes or hydro line inspections going on.”

What’s more, weather conditions might vary significantly during the course of the mission. Just because it’s good weather at the launch point doesn’t guarantee things are fine 100 km out. And so here, InDro has developed a new innovation.

INDRO BEACON

When flying BVLOS, a lot of things need to line up. The weather must be suitable for the entire route. The Command and Control link must be robust, and the mission must be planned so that terrain won’t interfere with that crucial signal. Equally important  (as the new regulations wisely outline), there must be a system to ensure there’s no conflict with traditional aviation. When the proposed mission is some 200-300 kilometres, everything possible must be done to ensure realtime situational awareness.

That’s where the new InDro Beacon comes in.

It looks a bit like a solar-powered weather station. And it is that, but also much more.

In addition to measuring wind and precipitation, each InDro Beacon contains a camera. That camera gives the Pilot-in-Command a realtime look at cloud cover and weather systems from multiple points along the route. In addition, each 5G-connected Beacon has a highly sensitive microphone to pick up the sound of any nearby traditional aircraft – firing off an immediate alert to the PiC.

“I think of Beacon as being like having multiple skilled Visual Observers along the route,” explains InDro’s Philip Reece. “It can detect and alert on any potential conflicts, as well as provide critical data on localised weather systems.”

Initial deployment on the project will likely involve five InDro Beacons. One will be at each landing zone, with several more strategically placed along the route for optimal visibility and connection. Once the viability of that planned route is thoroughly assessed, more Beacons will be placed along the route.

“This is a long-range, long-term project,” says Reece. “There have been many ambitious drone delivery BVLOS projects that have fallen to the wayside. We plan a meticulous, evidence-based trajectory that will lead to safe and routine BVLOS in even the most demanding surroundings.”

Below: The first prototype of the InDro Beacon, followed by the relevant portion of the CAN Health Network seminar

INDRO’S TAKE

This isn’t our first foray into drone deliveries for medical purposes. During the peak of the pandemic, we delivered COVID19 test swab kits between a remote First Nations community in the Gulf Islands and the mainland, saving a healthcare worker from hand-carrying these by ferry on a daily basis. We have also previously partnered with Canada Post and London Drugs to demonstrate secure delivery of critical medications to island communities.

This project, however, is different. It will be an ongoing program to determine not only the benefits of drone delivery for remote and First Nation communities – but to develop a safe system for ensuring those deliveries.

“This is kind of a big deal,” says InDro Founder and CEO Philip Reece. “We plan to be very meticulous throughout, improving all of InDro Beacon’s multiple capabilities until we are absolutely satisfied. Once we reach that stage, we will be producing this commercially for the industry at large.”

Stay tuned.