A team of University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers has designed a drone-based system to rapidly deliver an Automated External Defibrillator, or AED, to remote areas.
In February 2025, the team had the opportunity to test its efficacy in Wisconsin’s northwoods following one of the world’s most iconic cross-country ski races. “Moving at more than 40 miles per hour, a drone can deliver an AED quickly and safely by avoiding obstacles on the ground—in this case, skiers, spectators and the forest itself,” says Lennon Rodgers, director of the Grainger Engineering Design Innovation Laboratory(DI Lab) in the UW-Madison College of Engineering and an engineer on the project.
Held annually for more than five decades between the northern Wisconsin cities of Cable and Hayward, the American Birkebiner is the world’s third-largest ski race. “Birkie Week” events attract more than 11,000 skiers from around the world who participate in events of varying types and distances.
Read the full story here: https://engineering.wisc.edu/news/autonomous-defibrillator-toting-drone-can-fly-aid-anywhere/