MULTICOPTERS COULD offer a swifter emergency medical services (EMS) response, according to a feasibility study by the German air rescue organisation, ADAC Luftrettung. Until now, these new vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft with electrically powered rotors have been conceived for air taxi and cargo transport applications, but the ADAC report says they "make sense" for EMS missions. According to the organisation, multicopters would transport doctors to an emergency faster than ground cars. In a statement it said: "Emergency physicians could often be at the scene of an emergency twice as fast in rural areas compared to a conventional emergency medical service vehicle and reach around two to three times as many patients in a larger health service area." Multicopters could improve the efficiency of EMS services by releasing regular rescue helicopters for transporting patients to specialised hospitals and clinics, although ADAC stressed: "The multicopter is not intended to replace the rescue helicopter, but to complement the rapid assistance from the air. Patient transport is not planned for initial implementation."
展开▼
