New Drone Delivery Network is First of Its Kind in Berlin with Goal to Connect 13 Hospitals with Europe’s Largest Hospital Laboratory Labor Berlin to Support Transportation of More Than 6 Million Lab Samples Per Year
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — December 12, 2023 — Matternet, the developer of the leading urban drone delivery platform, today announced that it has received approval from the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA), Germany’s Federal Aviation Office, to operate the Matternet M2 drone delivery platform beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) in the heart of Berlin. This marks the beginning of Berlin’s first ever BVLOS drone delivery network.
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Matternet M2 drone carrying a lab sample for Labor Berlin. (Photo: Business Wire)
Labor Berlin, Europe’s largest hospital laboratory, provides diagnostics for 30 hospitals with more than 24,000 beds, including Charité, the largest university hospital in Europe and Vivantes, the largest municipal hospital group in Berlin. Labor Berlin handles more than 6 million lab samples per year from satellite laboratories across Berlin in its central lab. The drone delivery network aims to connect Labor Berlin’s central lab to affiliated hospitals for ultra-fast delivery of critical samples in the densely populated city. When fully operational, the network will serve millions of patients a year. Operations will formally begin early next year following clearance on federal state level.
“Healthcare systems need a fast, reliable and cost-effective solution to transport lab samples and pharmacy items to ensure patients receive best-in-class care,” said Andreas Raptopoulos, Founder and CEO of Matternet. “We are extremely excited to partner with Labor Berlin, Europe’s largest hospital laboratory, to create the first city-wide healthcare network in the capital of Germany and bring the benefits of drone delivery to the citizens of Berlin.”
The drone delivery network will target emergency diagnostics and will increase operational efficiency as well as cut down on carbon emissions from the nearly 250,000 miles per day that cars travel within the city.
"Collaborating with Matternet enables us to enhance access to vital healthcare options through unmanned drone delivery, benefiting our patients and hospital network,” said Nina Beikert, Labor Berlin CEO. “These operations align with our dedication to innovation and sustainability as drone delivery not only accelerates emergency testing, but also enhances supply chain efficiencies while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
Klaus Tenning, Head of Studies and Collaborations and Project Leader for Labor Berlin, adds: “After years of preparation and pioneering work, we are excited to execute our vision for a fully operational network of drones delivering samples throughout our hospital service - to further improve patient care.”
Matternet holds U.S. Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) Type Certification and Production Certification, as well as BVLOS operational approvals from the FAA and the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA), in addition to the German LBA approval now. Matternet started delivering lab samples via drone in Switzerland in 2017 and in the US in 2019. It has transported tens of thousands of specimens for Ospedale Regionale di Lugano, University Zürich Hospital and Stadtspital Zürich in Switzerland and, through its partnership with UPS, Wakemed Health and Wake Forest Baptist Health in the U.S.
About Matternet
Matternet is the leading developer of commercial drone delivery systems for urban and suburban environments. The company ships the Matternet M2 drone and Matternet Software Platform and operates its technology directly for customers or in partnership with logistics organizations, such as UPS. Matternet has achieved many industry firsts, including being the first company to be authorized for commercial Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone delivery operations over cities in Switzerland, the first to launch routine revenue-generating operations in the U.S., and the first to achieve standard Type Certification and Production Certification by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. Matternet is partnered with UPS and Ameriflight, who have received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to operate the Matternet M2 under Part 135. To date, Matternet technology has enabled tens of thousands of commercial flights over dense urban and suburban environments in the U.S. and Europe.
For more information about Matternet, please visit: https://mttr.net.
About Labor Berlin
Labor Berlin is Europe’s largest hospital laboratory with 13 sites all over Berlin. As the first joint venture of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Vivantes – Netzwerk für Gesundheit GmbH, Labor Berlin is responsible for the diagnostics of approximately 85 percent of patient beds in Berlin. Currently, over 18,000 samples are transported daily across Labor Berlin’s extensive network. Over 750 employees work to guarantee that each patient receives a diagnosis on 365 days of the year, 24/7. With passion for the well-being of the patient, each employee strives to achieve quality and innovation. This energy and commitment allows for an ever-growing cutting-edge analysis-portfolio and makes Labor Berlin a pioneer in future key technologies and a perfect partner for the diagnostic industry. For further Information, please visit: www.laborberlin.com.
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Contact:
For Matternet
Nick Fox
Senior Managing Director, Sloane & Company
Sloane-Matternet@sloanepr.com
For Labor Berlin
Annett Dauchert
Head of Marketing & Communications
Annett.Dauchert@laborberlin.com
