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A new testing phase has been successfully completed by ABzero in Monte Carlo, focused on the use of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drones for the automated delivery of medical supplies in maritime environments.

The initiative stems from a technical collaboration with DY | Flying Delivery, a Monaco-based company specialized in aeronautical solutions for complex scenarios. The aim of the testing campaign was to validate an emergency response model that leverages aerial mobility to efficiently connect onshore locations with vessels at anchor, with particular focus on system precision, reliability, and sustainability.

At the core of the project is the SmartCapsule®, the intelligent container developed by ABzero for the safe, traceable, and automated transport of medical and biological materials. Integrated onto DY’s VTOL drone platforms, the SmartCapsule® was deployed in a series of simulated missions under realistic operational conditions. These missions included takeoff from port areas, collection of medical payloads from strategic points either within or near the port – such as healthcare facilities, warehouses, or logistics depots – and final delivery to vessels positioned offshore, both stationary and in motion. Throughout each phase, the system demonstrated fully autonomous, accurate, and secure flight operations, thanks to the integration of satellite navigation, onboard control, and an end-to-end safety protocol.

This operational model highlighted the potential of advanced aerial mobility to drastically reduce response times in emergency situations, enabling direct access to vessels without relying on conventional port logistics or intermediate maritime transport. All of this was achieved with a strong emphasis on environmental sustainability, through the use of electric systems and mature, high-reliability technologies. Although not yet an active service, this testing phase represents a critical milestone in ABzero’s path toward technical and logistical validation, reaffirming its leadership in the field of airborne medical logistics. The project demonstrates how aerial intermodality can be effectively integrated into maritime operations, offering a tangible response to critical needs related to time, access, and operational safety.

For further insights:
ABzero on LinkedIn and video

On July 1st, 2025, ABzero successfully closed a €190,000 investment round, aimed at strengthening the company’s organizational structure and supporting the next stages of technological and commercial development.

Part of the investment was allocated to internal restructuring, optimizing processes, enhancing the team, and increasing overall efficiency in preparation for upcoming challenges. This step was necessary to align the company operational framework with its medium- and long-term strategic objectives.

The round reflects investors’ confidence in ABzero vision and the technological value of the ABzero system, our proprietary platform for the autonomous, tracked, and secure delivery of blood components and critical medical supplies. The system has a concrete impact on the speed, reliability, and sustainability of healthcare services.

The operation was completed with a pre-money valuation of €4,600,000, confirming the technical soundness, market positioning, and industrial potential of the project.

This milestone comes at a particularly significant time for ABzero, which has also been awarded the prestigious MOST – Mobility and Sustainability Talent Prize, promoted by the National Center for Sustainable Mobility (MOST) and awarded at the MAUTO – National Automobile Museum in Turin. This recognition highlights the innovative and sustainable impact of the ABzero system in the field of medical mobility.

We thank all those who continue to believe in our mission: revolutionizing medical logistics by making it more intelligent, autonomous, and sustainable through innovation.

Varese (Italy), June 2025 – As part of the U‑ELCOME (U‑space European COMmon dEpLoyment) project, ABzero has achieved a major milestone by successfully conducting a complex night-time drone delivery of medical supplies within the Circolo Hospital of Varese.

This trial marked an advanced testing phase in the creation of an aerial logistics corridor connecting Milan Malpensa Airport Cargo City with the Varese lake district and local hospitals—specifically Ospedale del Ponte and Ospedale di Circolo. The objective was to demonstrate fully automated, reliable, and timely delivery of urgent pharmaceuticals and medical materials, even under critical environmental and operational conditions.

ABzero deployed its proprietary Smart Capsule system integrated with the electric hexacopter DB-X6000 Pro RTK, entirely managed via the Spoke mobile platform. The drone simulated a real medical delivery, taking off from the hospital’s helipad and reaching designated areas within the healthcare facility, including the blood sampling center and various clinical wings.

Several factors contributed to the high level of technical complexity: a dense urban environment with vertical structures and narrow flight paths, limited illumination and reduced visibility during night-time, electromagnetic interference and turbulence induced by buildings, and the need for precision navigation through regulated urban air corridors within a U-space framework. Despite these challenges, the system demonstrated excellent reliability and operational readiness, confirming ABzero’s capability to operate in highly regulated and sensitive environments.

The successful outcome of this test represents a crucial step toward integrating drone systems into high-priority healthcare logistics. The deployment of autonomous, decarbonized medical delivery solutions can generate measurable benefits: significant reduction in CO₂ emissions by eliminating ground-based transport, shortened delivery times especially during night hours or emergencies, and optimization of healthcare personnel time and resources by minimizing logistical burdens.

This result was made possible through the active collaboration of SEA Milan Airports, the Municipality of Varese, and other institutional and technological partners: ENAC, ENAV, D-Flight, EuroUSC Italia, Telespazio, Techno Sky, Dronus, and DroneBase.

ABzero also acknowledges the forward-looking position of ASST Sette Laghi, which has called for a thorough evaluation of the service’s medium-term feasibility. This responsible approach reflects the sensitive nature of healthcare operations and provides a foundation for developing sustainable, safe, and clinically integrated adoption models.

The U‑ELCOME project confirms ABzero’s role as an innovation leader in intelligent healthcare logistics. The integration of our systems within advanced U-space ecosystems marks a key milestone in the transition toward a new operational paradigm, where speed, safety, traceability, and sustainability are foundational elements of future healthcare infrastructure.

For further insights:
ABzero on LinkedIn and video
AirCargo on LinkedIn
Article on VareseNews

ABzero Srl, an Italian company at the forefront of intelligent healthcare logistics using drones, is among the key partners of SOPRANO (Secure and Precise Positioning for Autonomous Navigation), a project funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) under the NAVISP Element 1 program. The initiative aims to develop a robust and high-precision Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) system that integrates multi-frequency, multi-constellation GNSS with 5G connectivity to enable safe and reliable operation in critical environments.

SOPRANO addresses the need for resilient positioning solutions in urban or complex areas where satellite signals are often degraded, obstructed, or spoofed. The hybrid GNSS/5G architecture under development is designed to support a new generation of autonomous systems.

SOPRANO project consortium

The project brings together a multidisciplinary European consortium with expertise in navigation, telecommunications, autonomy, and regulation:

• Thales Alenia Space France – project coordinator and a European leader in space infrastructure.

• Ecole Nationale de l’Aviation Civile (ENAC) – Italy, a centre of excellence in civil aviation and U-space integration.

• Fondazione LINKS – Italy, specialized in advanced positioning technologies, digital innovation, and system interoperability.

• ABzero Srl – Italy, pioneer in automated healthcare transport using smart capsules and autonomous drones.

• LEAT – Université Côte d’Azur – France, focused on secure communication, sensor fusion, and cyber-physical systems.

• Helios Technology (Egis Group) – United Kingdom, expert in regulatory frameworks, safety, and airspace integration.

ABzero’s role in SOPRANO

ABzero contributes real-world experience from emergency healthcare logistics, where positioning accuracy and traceability are mission-critical. Through SOPRANO, ABzero will enhance the performance and safety of its autonomous drone operations, ensuring precise delivery of medical supplies such as blood, organs, and pharmaceuticals—even in challenging environments.

Towards a resilient and sovereign European autonomous mobility ecosystem

SOPRANO represents a key technological step toward enabling next-generation autonomous mobility through a hybrid, reliable PNT infrastructure. The project is aligned with ESA’s vision to strengthen Europe’s technological sovereignty in strategic sectors and foster dual-use innovation with impact across civil and critical operations.

For more information, visit: SOPRANO – NAVISP Project #335

At the end of 2024, the ABzero Export project, promoted within the “Internationalization 2023” call by the Tuscany Region, was successfully completed. The initiative marked a significant step forward in ABzero’s journey toward international expansion, laying the strategic groundwork for sustainable growth in global markets.

Throughout the project, ABzero carried out all the planned activities aimed at strengthening the company’s international readiness. Key actions included:

• Market analysis to identify the most promising international opportunities for our patented smart medical transport solution;

• Adaptation of communication materials and the corporate website for international audiences;

• Expansion of the commercial network, including scouting and engagement with strategic partners and stakeholders across Europe and beyond;

• Participation in international trade fairs and industry events, to promote our technology and gather valuable market insights;

• Definition of a medium- to long-term internationalization strategy, including actionable plans for entering selected target markets.

The success of ABzero Export confirms the strength of our business model and the relevance of our technology within the global landscape of advanced medical logistics. The experience gained through this project strengthens the company’s positioning as a reference player, ready to embrace new challenges and seize international opportunities.

We would like to thank the Tuscany Region for their support, as well as all the partners and collaborators who contributed to this growth journey.

ABzero now looks confidently to the next phase of international development, with the goal of bringing Italian innovation and quality to serve healthcare systems around the world.

April 16, 2025 – During an international webinar hosted by WeRobotics for the Flying Labs network, Giuseppe Tortora, CEO of ABzero, presented the company’s cutting-edge solutions for medical drone logistics.

In his talk, Tortora introduced the Smart Capsule, an autonomous and multimodal system designed to ensure the safe transport of blood, blood components, organs, and medicines. Fully compliant with aviation regulations, the system enables fast and automated delivery operations, significantly reducing response times in emergency scenarios.

The presentation highlighted how ABzero’s proprietary technology empowers healthcare personnel — even those without technical expertise — to operate drones safely and efficiently, thereby expanding access to critical medical services.

With this contribution, ABzero reaffirmed its commitment to digital health innovation and to supporting communities through technologies that prioritize automation, accessibility, and human safety.

The session took place on April 16, 2025, from 12:00 to 1:00 PM GMT, by invitation of the global Flying Labs community.

With the collaboration of Menta srl, the first experimental flights between Neviano degli Arduini and Langhirano, in the Parma Apennines, have been successfully completed. These flights connected seven different routes to transport blood and biological samples from the Casa della Salute in Langhirano to laboratories in the Parma province, using the ABzero | Life Saving Partner system for ultra-rapid and controlled delivery of highly perishable medical goods.

The flights were fully autonomous while maintaining remote monitoring. They covered significant distances, demonstrating the system’s ability to overcome geographical obstacles and ensure speed and efficiency under real-world conditions. This success was made possible thanks to the essential contribution of #AI integrated into the #SmartCapsule and the #Spoke system.

Why is it important?
In the transport of biological samples, blood, or life-saving drugs, time is critical. With ABzero, we are breaking traditional logistical barriers, offering an innovative solution that drastically reduces delivery times while ensuring the highest standards of safety and traceability.

Why is this a significant milestone?
The fast and safe transport of blood and other biological materials is crucial for saving lives. Drones enable the overcoming of geographical obstacles and road traffic, ensuring timely deliveries even in hard-to-reach areas.

Looking ahead:
This flight represents a significant step toward integrating drones into healthcare logistics, aiming to expand the service nationally and beyond, improving the efficiency and speed of essential medical deliveries.

Watch the regional Rai – Radiotelevisione Italiana news video about the service here

The project awarded by the European Space Agency – ESA, aims to harness innovation in the design and development of highly reliable #UAS positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) solutions.
Thanks to the consortium created together with Thales Alenia Space, DRONE VOLT and Politehnica University Timisoara (UPT), TOPASE will focus on #BVLOS operations and critical use cases such as:

• Surveillance of critical infrastructure (specific category),
• Delivery of specific goods between two identified points (specific category),
• Taxi drones (certified category).

TOPASE results are supported by an End to End Proof of concept aligned with a real commercial use case bringing viability of the business plan and maximizing the solution go to market.

https://navisp.esa.int/project/details/292/show