Print Email Facebook Twitter Design and analysis of a UAV assisted medical emergency delivery system Title Design and analysis of a UAV assisted medical emergency delivery system Author van Haasteren, Jelle (TU Delft Aerospace Engineering) Contributor Sharpanskykh, Alexei (mentor) Degree granting institution Delft University of Technology Programme Aerospace Engineering Date 2022-06-07 Abstract The healthcare systems of developed countries are getting more centralized and specialized. In order for this trend to continue one requires a reliable medical emergency delivery system. Both governments and private companies recognize that drones might be a good fit for this job. Previous qualitative studies suggest benefits of an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) to be: less vulnerability to congestion, fewer emissions, and cost savings because it enables further healthcare centralization. However, unknown reliability and physical risks that drones pose to civilians, often referred to as third-party-risk (TPR), have prevented systematic adoption so far. Because little holistic and quantitative understanding of these risks and benefits exists, policy- and other decision-makers are unable to value them and compare options. We propose an agent-based simulation model that reflects a multi-use-case medical emergency delivery system sustained by drones, cars, or a heterogeneous vehicle fleet. A case study of the Dutch Medical Drone Service project is performed, incorporating road-risk statistics and hourly congestion predictions. Three system design decisions are covered: testing different modes of operation, vehicle fleets, and healthcare facility allocations. We show that flying/driving safely when possible and fast only when necessary reduces TPR while maintaining reliability. Additionally, not being forced to return to the departure hub after delivery is shown to increase system performance on all indicators. Case-study results suggest that drones are superior in terms of reliability, speed of delivery, and emissions compared to cars. Additionally, we find that commonly accepted road transport TPR is at least as big as UAS-induced risk. Total UAS costs are small compared to the potential healthcare centralization cost savings enabled by such a delivery system. Our results suggest that a system in which healthcare facilities are concentrated at a few easily accessible locations, supported by a UAS, is compelling. To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:74290457-919e-4e5f-a146-fe905f0bb738 Part of collection Student theses Document type master thesis Rights © 2022 Jelle van Haasteren Files PDF Thesis_Jelle_van_Haastere ... 446127.pdf 11.54 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:74290457-919e-4e5f-a146-fe905f0bb738/datastream/OBJ/view