Never fear, UPS test drones are here! [VIDEO]

A child is in danger. He’s having an asthmatic attack, but his inhaler has been left behind. And he’s at camp on an island inaccessible by road. What is the camp counselor to do? This looks like a job for…. aerial drones!

It may sound like a bad TV plot, but it’s a serious, potentially life-saving system that was tested yesterday by UPS and drone maker CyPhy Works to demonstrate the cargo capabilities of its latest unmanned aerial vehicle, called the Persistent Aerial Reconnaissance and Communications system, or PARC for short.

In the mock test, the inhaler was delivered “with extreme precision” from the mainland in Massachusetts to an island off the coast in about six minutes – a journey that UPS said would have taken about five times longer by boat, which hypothetically would have put the fictional child’s life in danger.

“Our focus is on real-world applications that benefit our customers,” said Mark Wallace, senior vice president of global engineering and sustainability at UPS.  “We think drones offer a great solution to deliver to hard-to-reach locations in urgent situations where other modes of transportation are not readily available.”

To add to the James Bond-like flair to the operation, the battery-powered PARC is also equipped with night-vision and a secure communications system.

Massachusetts-based CyPhy is one of several UAV companies UPS has worked with over the years to develop drone capabilities for a potential commercial application. In May, UPS formed a partnership with drone startup Zipline and humanitarian organization Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to deliver blood and vaccines via drone to remote medical locations Rwanda. UPS has also tested UAVs in warehouses to perform inventory checks in difficult-to-see areas at its huge warehouses.

For now, commercial delivery is limited to these pilot projects, largely due to restrictions under the FAA’s “Part 107” rules that were released earlier this year, stating that UAV flights are to remain limited to line-of-sight operation, meaning pilots (who must be licensed) cannot fly any drones beyond their own limit of vision. UPS, however, says it is working with other drone manufacturers and advocates to loosen the regulations to permit remote operation.

You can see the CyPhy Works video here, showing how the PARC system operates: