🇫🇮 From hospital supplies to grocery deliveries – Finnish-Irish research collaboration explores drone logistics potential

The collaboration brings together VTT’s deep technological and logistical expertise and Manna Air Delivery’s commercial experience. The Irish company has already completed more than 200,000 commercial drone flights worldwide. A key focus of the project is to develop safety and airspace management solutions that enable large-scale adoption of drone deliveries in Finnish urban environments.

Manna Air Delivery is already today delivering groceries in Espoo, Finland showing that air delivery is a proven, scalable solution that’s already driving real impact. It will be expanding into other Northern European territories at the request of our European partners.

This latest deployment is planned for the Finnish Housing Fair in summer 2025. The aim is to explore in a more expansive and integrated way the use of drones as a logistics solution particularly in suburban areas – where conventional last-mile delivery can be slow, costly or congested.

“The goal is to bring downtown services closer to residents, potentially even to their doorstep. This could mean food, medicine, lab samples, or other everyday deliveries currently handled by bike couriers or vans. When logistics becomes simpler and faster, it opens new doors for completely novel types of business,” says Timo Lind, Principal Scientist at VTT.

While early drone deliveries have focused on pizzas, groceries and burgers, the potential goes much further. A central aim of the partnership is to assess how drones can be applied to mission-critical societal services – such as logistics between health clinics and hospitals.

“When it comes to transporting samples or medical supplies, speed is key. Air delivery can often be both the fastest and most reliable option, especially in urban areas. In the future, using drones to carry blood samples between hospitals may become routine – and in times of crisis, even life-saving,” says Jussi Kangasoja, Senior Scientist at VTT, who is also involved in the project.

The collaboration will also explore how different forms of robotics could be integrated – for example, combining ground-based robot couriers with drones in the same logistics chain. The project will assess where aerial transport offers the greatest advantage, and where traditional routes are more efficient.

“VTT has done remarkable and pioneering work in the research and development of unmanned aerial vehicles, and Finland is renowned for its high-level scientific competence. In addition, the country’s variable weather and diverse urban structure provide an excellent testing ground for real-world applications. That’s why a Finnish partnership is so valuable to us – we’re not just looking for tests, we’re seeking real-world learnings to support our growing operations,” says Bobby Healy, CEO of Manna Air Delivery.

Manna Air Delivery has already demonstrated that drone delivery can be a profitable business. Now, the joint goal is to create solutions that support not only smart city services but also the public sector – including preparedness for pandemics and emergency response.

“Once people experience drone deliveries, they don’t go back. It’s crucial that drone technology evolves in step with society’s needs, and that commercial operations also support critical public services,” Healy emphasizes.