Switzerland is experimenting with a network of blood-carrying drones

Drones aren't delivering to your doorstep just yet, but they're "already proving their worth with more urgent, medical missions," said Jack Stewart at Wired. Hospitals in Switzerland are testing a drone network built by Silicon Valley startup Matternet to quickly shuttle blood and other medical samples to and from testing facilities.

Right now, "hospitals move those supplies using third-party couriers that tend to be expensive and unreliable." Matternet's drone stations are small enough that hospitals can install them in parking lots or on rooftops. "To send a package, you just pop whatever needs carrying into a bright red, shoebox-size container," which is automatically slotted into one of Matternet's quadcopter drones and sent off to its destination. The company hopes to eventually expand beyond health care.

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