The domestic drone delivery market is rapidly growing after its infancy. The advantages of drone delivery, which can quickly deliver various items over long distances, are also being highlighted in the medical field.

From the 17th to the 19th, the Unmanned Vehicle Industry Expo 2024 conference, hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Science and ICT, etc., was held at COEX C Hall. On this day, Director Seunghoon Ahn of 'NARMA' presented a case of commercializing drone delivery in the emergency medical field.

Narma, the first research institute company of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, is a logistics delivery drone company that commercialized the world's first electric small tilt-rotor drone. It aims to safely deliver blood or medicine between hospitals in Korea and abroad. Recently, it successfully delivered medicine to the target location by flying a set route between Konyang University Hospital and Chungnam National University Hospital.

Narma is also active overseas. In January, Narma completed a demonstration flight to deliver medicine to a healthcare center in Kenya. Director Ahn said, “Narma can carry a 5kg item at a speed of 70km per hour for a distance of 40km. If the existing delivery time took more than 1 hour and 30 minutes, it can be reached in just 30 minutes with a drone.” The Narma 'AF200' used for the flight is capable of non-visual flight and enables long-distance real-time observation using an EO/IR camera.

Narma is not only fully entering Kenya, but is also expanding its territory to Croatia, the Philippines, Kenya, Uganda, Indonesia, and Florida. Director Ahn said, “Narma is currently in the seed-planting stage, and it will take time for actual products to be commercialized, but we will actively expand our investment by increasing overseas manpower and expanding partnerships.”

Narma also revealed its goal to build a takeoff station in the future for its delivery drone business. Director Ahn said, “This is necessary to prevent the drone’s battery from naturally discharging and to overcome the limitations of GPS used during takeoff.” He added, “At the station, we will increase user convenience to the point where a kit can be delivered to a specific point by simply pressing a kiosk button.”

It has been reported that Narma is preparing for an IPO next year, following its Series A investment of 5 billion won last year.

Meanwhile, Narma has joined hands with Samsung Electronics for a drone delivery service. Starting on the 19th, Samsung Electronics and Narma will deliver the Galaxy Z Fold6 and Z Flip6 together to nearby island areas in Jeju Island, Yeosu, and Tongyeong as part of the drone demonstration city construction project led by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Samsung Electronics said, “By using drones for delivery, we will shorten the product delivery period from 7 days to 1 day, and expand the delivery products to focus on mobile items such as smartphones, tablets, Galaxy Buds, and Galaxy Watch that weigh less than 10 kg.”