The medical drones market is anticipated to grow at a significant CAGR during the forecast period. Medical drones are the enhanced version of aerial vehicles that are used for delivering medical necessity in the emergence areas from the medical facilities. Medical drones are in the R&D phase that requires technological enhancement to deliver packages efficiently with minimal time. The rising adoption of logistic services and medical services have shown a positive impact on the growth of the medical drones market during the forecast period. Drones are utilized in anti-submarine warfare, target practice and combat zero surveillance. The factors such as growing public acceptance towards medical drones in emerging economies the fuel the growth of the medical drones market during the forecast period. However, complications related to medical drones are the restraint for the growth of the market.
Drones are developed for the use in medical services, for instance, ambulance drones at the Delft University of Technology in Holland equipped with carrying automated external defibrillators, CPR (Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation) equipment and medications. In the US, the state of Mississippi a telemedicine drone is being developed to deal with the after-effects of natural disasters. Drones are guided through positioning systems and be capable of dropping off equipment. They are utilized in offering emergency medications and blood products.
Segmental Outlook
The global medical drones market is segmented on the basis of application and vertical. Based on the application, the market is segmented into drugs/pharmaceutical transfer, vaccination programs,blood transfer, and others. Drugs/pharmaceutical transfer is anticipated to have a considerable market share in the medical drones market during the forecast period as these drones are enabling in delivering drugs in severe conditions such as medical emergencies and disasters. The blood transfer segment is expected to have a significant growth rate owing to the growing demand for drones that are used in supplying blood samples to healthcare facilities. Moreover, in case of emergencies, medical drones play an important role in transferring the blood samples to patients at a remote location. The growing need for the fast delivery of blood is raising the adoption of drones to fuel the growth of the blood transfer segment in the market.
Emergency Medical Services expected to hold a significant share in 2018
Based on vertical, the market is segmented into hospitals and clinics, blood banks and emergency medical services. Emergency medical services are expected to have the largest market share in the medical drones market during the forecast period due to technological advancement in medical drones that can deliver essential medical supplies along with short shelf life. It enables people suffering from severe conditions and medical drones enable the overall process thus, beneficial for the growth of the industry and boosting the demand for medical drones in the case of emergency.
Regional Outlook
The global medical drones market is further segmented based on geography including North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World. North America is expected to have the largest market share in the medical drones market during the forecast period. Due to the presence of growing R&D funding from the government, rules and regulations applied by the government and the presence of a highly sophisticated environment are the factors that are anticipated to fuel the growth of the region. Moreover, advancement in technologies is also shown a positive impact on the growth of the market.
Europe is anticipated to have a considerable growth rate due to improving regulatory scenario for medical drones have beneficial for the growth of the industry. Furthermore, extensive research is being conducted on supplying blood and medicines in the remote area is fueling the growth of the region. The market in Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region mainly due to increasing awareness regarding the benefits of medical drones, advancement in technologies and improving healthcare facilities are factors that are boosting the growth of the medical drones market during the forecast period.
Market Players Outlook
The key players of the medical drones market include DHL International GmbH, Zipline, HiRO TeleMedicine Systems, LLC, Flirtey, SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd, Airbus S.A.S, AT&T, Inc. and Project Wing (Google, LLC). These players are adopting various strategies in order to compete and expand their market presence. For instance, in April 2019, Zipline is a California based automated logistics company had launched drone delivery services in GHANA that results in the reach of medical facilities in remote areas. In March 2019, Matternet collaborates with UPS to offer blood sample deliveries at WakeMed hospital in the US. This collaboration enables the hospital to offer fast treatment to patients suffering from blood loss.