Bengaluru healthcare goes high-tech: Pilot project uses drones to transport 40 lab samples in just 10 minutes

BENGALURU: A city-based healthcare firm and a logistics startup have teamed up to use to deliver diagnostic samples, bypassing Bengaluru's gridlocked roads and ensuring faster supply.

In a pilot project, Narayana Health and Airbound used specialised drone flights to transport samples from a clinic in Chandapura to Narayana Health City in Bommasandra, significantly cutting down transit time compared to road commute. Under the pilot, running since Jan 2026, around 700 flights were conducted over 54 days, with each flight carrying up to 40 diagnostic samples.

The drone covered a 4km aerial route in just 10 minutes, what would typically take about an hour in peak traffic. Apart from saving time, each of these drone flights cost about Re 1 in operational expenses, making it a more economical option than road transport.

The blended wing-body tailsitter design of the drones combined vertical takeoff with the aerodynamic efficiency of a fixed-wing flight, thereby enabling lower cost per km of delivery compared to conventional ground transport.

Earlier, diagnostic samples used to be transported on three to four road trips daily. Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, founder and chairman of Narayana Health, said the model will be scaled up at its upcoming hospital in Banashankari, set to be inaugurated in the coming months.

While DGCA approval was obtained for the test flights, for operating services from Banashankari to Bommasandra, a formal approval is still awaited.

Naman Pushp, founder and CEO of the logistics startup said the pilot recorded zero failures so far. "Conventional logistics is primed for change. Our ambition is to build a new layer of infrastructure for commercial freight," he further added.

Commenting on the upcoming medical facility, Dr Shetty said: "This will be the first hospital in India to go completely paperless and smart. Only those directly involved in patient care will be on-site, while all other services will be handled remotely."