Innovative ways of distribution for life-saving medicines during emergency situations

This Master’s thesis has the goal to provide effective research on the distribution of life-saving medications using UAVs. In partnership with ASL Città di Torino and Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino represented by the doctors Corrado Calvo, Paola Crosasso, and Daniela Cestino, the project aims at the creation of a new procedure in order to faster the transportation of high priority drugs and blood derivates. This aspect has already been highlighted in the literature, proving drones could potentially overcome the logistic challenges as they are not subjected to traffic delays and they are able to reach regions that lack adequate roads faster. In the first part of this thesis, the research has focused on hospitals’ positions around the city of Torino. Then, several UAVs were identified to be analyzed. The research has been based on currently available mid-size drones in order to show the immediate possibility to turn this project into a real procedure in a small period of time. Also, another important aspect is the reliability of the system. Further on, the definition of different mission scenarios, together with ASL Città di Torino, led to a narrow selection of considered UAVs. This step has been done using Principal Components Analysis (PCA) method. This machine learning technique allows us to easily compare different features of the drones to select the most appropriate for a specific mission. The second part of the thesis is focused on the delivery simulation from Ospedale Molinette to Ospedale San Giovanni Bosco. The calculation of the trajectory, thanks to the work of dr. Stefano Primatesta, take into consideration the possibility of a crash which could cause injuries and damages. Also, a regulatory section is addressed, relying on the Italian regulator, Ente Nazionale per l’Aviazione Civile (ENAC). In particular, flying restrictions above highly populated urban areas are taken into consideration and could limit the application of this solution.