DronER - Drones for Emergency Response

1. Description 💎

1.1 Problem

Urban emergency response systems often face critical delays due to traffic congestion and infrastructure inefficiencies. In time-sensitive medical emergencies like cardiac arrests, every minute counts — and current systems are not fast enough. Each minute of delay reduces the chance of survival by 7–10%, and in Italy alone, 25,000 people die annually before reaching the hospital.

1.2 Solution

DronER introduces a drone-based emergency medical delivery service to complement existing ambulance systems. By deploying a fast-response drone network equipped with life-saving tools such as automated external defibrillators (AEDs), adrenaline auto-injectors, glucagon, bronchodilators, and naloxone, DronER drastically reduces response times.

The system targets critical medical events such as:

• Cardiac arrests: up to 70% survival increase with AEDs delivered within minutes;
• Anaphylaxis: often occurs far from medical centers;
• Respiratory crises: affecting over 3.5 million Italians;
• Diabetic shock and drug overdoses: over 20,000 deaths per year could be prevented with timely intervention.

To optimize responsiveness and resource allocation, the fleet is designed to be diversified into two operational types:

• Heavy-response drones, carrying AED-equipped kits for cardiac emergencies;
• Light-response drones, delivering compact medical kits with essential life-saving drugs.

This dual-kit system increases flexibility and efficiency, allowing tailored responses based on the emergency type. DronER offers both substantial health impact and economic sustainability, ensuring rapid access to critical treatments and reducing long-term healthcare costs.

2. Data & Technology Stack 🛰️

• Positioning:

  • Galileo GNSS and High Accuracy Service (HAS): sub-20 cm positioning for precise drone navigation.

• Real-time flight decision support:

  • Kinéis IoT sensors onboard drones:

    • Measure temperature (battery performance), humidity (fog/precipitation risk), and pressure (turbulence indicators);

    • Alert operator if flight conditions are unsafe, enabling Human-in-the-Loop verification.

• Meteorological data:

  • Local sensors (eg. ARPAE): for real-time wind speed, direction, and precipitation.

• Path planning:

  • Copernicus DEM: used for large-scale operations and in areas with limited local data availability. It ensures global coverage and consistent quality;

  • High-resolution DSM/DTM from regional geoportals: integrated where available to enhance urban obstacle avoidance, thanks to superior spatial detail.

• No-fly zone integration:

  • ENAC regulatory datasets. 

• Drone SDK integration:

  • Used in the development environment for autonomous flight capabilities. Such integration will be using open source technologies like PX4 Autopilot.

• Strategic drone placement:

  • QGIS-based spatial analysis to identify key coverage locations.

💰  3. Cost-Benefit & Business Plan

DronER is not just technologically innovative — it is economically sound and socially impactful.

✅  Direct Costs:

• Drone unit cost: DJI Matrice 600 PRO (5300€/u), DJI Phantom 4 (600€/u);

• Drone base: 3000€/u; 

• Kit ADE: 800€/u;

• Emergency kit: 175€/u;

• Operational cost per mission: ~€10 (battery, maintenance, software);

• Electricity: 200€/month;

• Server cloud: 100€/month;

• Office rent: 13€/day (300 days/year);

• Other expenses: 150€/month;

• Salary: 25k/year (per person).

🚑  Comparison with Traditional Emergency Services

• Ambulance intervention: €100–150 per call-out, with average response times of 10–15 minutes;

• DronER reaches the patient in 2–4 minutes, crucial for survival;

• Particularly effective in urban traffic congestion, where ambulances are slower.

🏥  Healthcare System Savings

• Early defibrillation and treatment reduce ICU stays and long-term rehabilitation;

• This translates into lower public healthcare costs and better recovery outcomes.

Revenue Model:

• Subscription services;

• On-demand missions;

• Training and consulting for public/private stakeholders;

• Maintenance. 

Break-even point expected within 3–4 years.

Market analysis: while similar initiatives exist at the European level, they remain limited in scope and are not yet deployed on a large scale. DronER stands out as a pioneering solution in Italy, currently the only initiative of its kind in the country — positioning us at the forefront of innovation in emergency drone deployment.

👥 4. Team members

Federico Tarozzi – CEO - Strategic Director

With a strong background in International Sciences and Geography, and extensive experience in scientific communication applied to Earth Observation for territorial analysis, Federico is the driving force behind DronER. His global perspective and deep commitment to social and environmental impact have guided the overall coordination of the project. He ensures seamless integration between technological innovation and territorial sustainability. Under his leadership, satellite data has been transformed into real-world healthcare applications — turning vision into action.

Riccardo Pestrin – CTO - Software Development

A computer engineer specialized in helicopter flight simulator development (Unity and C#), Riccardo is the technological backbone of DronER. His expertise enables the creation of a digital ecosystem where drones are integrated in a functional, intuitive, and scalable way. His background in game development enhances the team’s work by driving the creation of innovative, user-friendly solutions — blending technical precision with a focus on user experience. Riccardo brings technological reliability and a constant push for innovation.

Marianna Luordo – Geodata Analyst

Marianna is DronER’s scientific lead for geospatial analysis and modeling. Her research experience in Cartography at the Department of Economics, Society and Politics of the University of Urbino is a key asset for developing data-driven solutions. With deep expertise in land use and land cover dynamics, she leads spatial suitability assessments, identifying strategic intervention areas and shaping effective use-case scenarios for healthcare. Marianna ensures that cutting-edge Earth Observation technologies are translated into precise, impactful applications.

Sara Maurizio – CFO & Scientific Communication

With an interdisciplinary academic background and currently enrolled in a Master’s in GIScience and Remote Sensing Systems, Sara bridges the gap between humanities and technological innovation. As a scientific communication officer in the private sector, she embodies the cross-disciplinary core of the DronER team. She played a crucial role in developing the business model, combining technical-scientific insight with narrative skills to turn innovation into applied value — making DronER ready for real-world deployment.

5. References & Case Studies 

5.1 References

• Schierbeck, Sofia et al., Drone delivery of automated external defibrillators compared with ambulance arrival in real-life suspected out-of-hospital cardiac arrests: a prospective observational study in Sweden, The Lancet Digital Health, Volume 5, Issue 12, e862 - e871;     

• Claesson A, Bäckman A, Ringh M, Svensson L, Nordberg P, Djärv T, Hollenberg J., Time to Delivery of an Automated External Defibrillator Using a Drone for Simulated Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests vs Emergency Medical Services, JAMA. 2017 Jun 13;317(22):2332-2334;     

• Amukele T, Ness PM, Tobian AA, Boyd J, Street J., Drone transportation of blood products, Transfusion. 2017 Mar;57(3):582-588;     

• Otto A, Agatz N, Campbell J, Golden B, Pesch E., Optimization approaches for civil applications of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or aerial drones: A survey, Networks. 2018;72:411–458.     

• Parvathi S.,  Prathilothamai M, Drone Design for First Aid Kit Delivery in Emergency Situation | UPDWG  6th International Conference on Advanced Computing & Communication Systems (ICACCS), pp. 215-220, 2020.

5.2 Case Studies

• Pulse X: an innovation-driven company focused on designing and manufacturing high-performance drones for diverse applications, ranging from emergency response to industrial inspection;

• Everdrone: a Swedish company specializing in autonomous drone operations for emergency medical services. Known for its collaboration with health authorities to deliver automated external defibrillators (AEDs) directly to cardiac arrest scenes, reducing response times in critical situations;     

• Zipline: launched in Rwanda in 2016 to deliver blood and medical supplies, Zipline has since evolved into a global drone logistics company. It now operates in multiple sectors, including food, retail, agriculture, and veterinary health, demonstrating the scalability and versatility of drone-based delivery systems.