Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Blood Delivery: A UAV Fleet Design Tool and Case Study

Abstract

Autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are becoming increasingly popular and have many potential applications. This analysis considers autonomous UAVs for medical resupply missions, in particular a blood delivery case study. We develop a design optimization tool that allows users to quickly assess small UAV designs. We believe the framework offered in this report will be most useful to acquisition program officials and Joint medical community stakeholders in understanding the requirements, capabilities, and cost drivers of small UAV delivery systems. Our approach is also readily applicable to other mission types.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2019
Accession Number
AD1083953

Entities

People

  • Brent Thomas
  • Christopher K. Gilmore
  • Michael Chaykowsky

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Autonomy
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Aircraft Equipment
  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Control Systems
  • Energy Consumption
  • Fixed Wing Aircraft
  • Health Services
  • Medical Evacuation
  • Medical Personnel
  • Military Science
  • Supply Chain
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Unmanned Aerial Systems
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Unmanned Systems
  • Vertical Takeoff Aircraft

Fields of Study

  • Computer science

Readers

  • Medical or Health Care Field.
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Autonomous Capabilities and Mission Reconnaissance.

Technology Areas

  • Autonomy
  • Autonomy - UAVs