In the event of a mountain emergency, response and intervention times are critical, and today these can be reduced by up to three times through the use of cargo drones, with a significant impact on the safety of patients and rescue teams. This is the finding of tests carried out in the Dolomites as part of the Start2 Living Lab project, which explored the integration of drones into mountain rescue operations in complex environments.
One of the key players in the project is FlyingBasket, a South Tyrolean tech company specialising in the design, manufacture and development of cargo drones for logistics, which has contributed by providing its technological platform, operational expertise and training programmes for rescue teams.
Field trials have compared traditional ground-based evacuation methods with operations supported by heavy-lift cargo drones. The results show a significant improvement: evacuation time can be reduced by up to three times, whilst air transport by drone results in a reduction in stress on the patient – in terms of shocks and vibrations – of up to ten times less than ground transport. During the activities carried out with researchers and experts in mountain emergency medicine at Eurac Research, an innovative ‘hot loading’ procedure was also developed, which allows a patient to be loaded safely whilst the drone remains hovering, further improving the efficiency and safety of operations.
“With this project, we have helped to demonstrate a crucial step forward: drones are no longer merely support tools, but can play an active role in rescue operations,” said Moritz Moroder, CEO and co-founder of FlyingBasket, in a statement. “Our technology enables us to respond more quickly, reduce the risks to rescue workers and improve the conditions in which patients are transported. It represents a real change in the way we deal with mountain emergencies.”
“If we implement this technology in the future, we will be able to make mountain rescue much safer and less reliant on resources such as helicopters,” says Michiel van Veelen, a doctor, researcher at the Institute of Mountain Emergency Medicine and consultant in emergency medicine.
Although the regulatory framework for passenger transport is still evolving, cargo drones are already capable of supporting rescue operations, enabling the rapid transport of essential equipment, providing support to operational teams in remote areas, and reducing exposure to risk in challenging environments. The Start2 Living Lab project is funded under the Interreg VI-A Italy–Austria programme, with a total budget of €1,235,497, of which €882,734 is co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
The initiative stems from a collaboration between a multidisciplinary consortium bringing together stakeholders from the fields of research, technology and emergency response, including NOI Techpark, Eurac Research – Institute of Mountain Emergency Medicine, MAVTech, FlyingBasket, CNSAS – Veneto Alpine and Cave Rescue Service, FH Kärnten and FH Kufstein Tirol.
“The value of Start2 also lies in the collaboration between different partners, which has enabled us to test the technology in real-world conditions and bring it a step closer to operational use,” adds Moroder. “Our aim is to continue developing solutions that make rescue operations faster, safer and more efficient, helping to set new standards for the future of operations in alpine environments.”
The project’s findings confirm that cargo drones could become an increasingly important part of the mountain rescue ecosystem, paving the way for innovative operational models based on speed, precision and safety.
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