Healthcare Drone Delivery Innovator WakeMed Joins The Collective Community Focused on 3-D Autonomous Mobility
WAKE FOREST, N.C. (Feb. 25, 2020) – The Advanced Mobility Collective, a new community for collaboration to bring new mobility services to life, launched today with WakeMed Health & Hospitals, Cherokee Nation Business and The Stone Agency as founding partners.
The Collective is a nonprofit global community of business, technology, government and research partners. The community is a catalyst for innovation and economic development for connected and autonomous vehicles in the air and on the ground. Areas of collaboration include cyber-physical infrastructure, airspace management, urban planning, policy and regulation, insurance, private investment, and alignment with communities, operators and governmental agencies.
The convergence of 5G wireless connectivity and massive data from the Internet of Things merged with air and ground vehicles evolving into smart machines is enabling innovation and the need for The Collective. “Transportation of people and cargo breaks into the third dimension. This will transform our lives and every aspect of our economy in ways similar to the unleashing of the Internet in the 1990s,” said Todd Spain, executive director of the Advanced Mobility Collective. “The Collective helps accelerate the process for companies, entrepreneurial startups and governments to seize opportunities in the emerging mobility market, and we’re actively seeking new partners for collaboration.”
New mobility services including unmanned aerial systems (UAS or “drones”) and urban air mobility systems (UAM) are revolutionizing the transport of people and goods with highly automated and autonomous cargo and passenger transportation services. Emerging services, including many in use for public safety and emergency management today, range from medical package and food delivery to transportation, including airport shuttles, air taxi and air ambulances with electronic vertical takeoff and landing drones (eVTOLs), autonomous vehicles and robotic transportation systems in smart cities.
WakeMed has already taken flight in this arena as the first U.S. health system to integrate drone technology for medical sample transport. “Drone transport is a new frontier in the healthcare space,” said Stuart Ginn, MD, WakeMed ENT surgeon and medical director of WakeMed Innovations. “There is tremendous potential in the application and integration of this technology to transform the way we design and deliver healthcare to better meet the needs of patients and the community.”
Dr. Ginn, a member of The Collective Advisory Board, is a former flight instructor and spent several years as an airline pilot prior to his medical and surgical training. His passion for flight, medicine and innovation helped set the stage to bring drone technology to WakeMed.
The Collective will provide more opportunity to explore and expand the scope of healthcare-related uses for drones, while also connecting the community in new ways.
The Collective is an economic development initiative of The Wireless Research Center. Empowering communities and collaboration to develop the next generation of communications products and services is the goal of WRC initiatives. “A cornerstone of the Wireless Research Center is nurturing an ecosystem of business, government and research partners as an engine for technology-led economic development,” said Gerard Hayes, founder and chief executive officer of the Wireless Research Center. “The Collective is similar to RIoT, a WRC initiative focused on the Internet of Things.”
The Collective’s Expert in Residence Kyle Snyder also serves on the advisory board along with Michele Stone and Hayes. Snyder is the robotics program manager for Cherokee Nation Strategic Programs supporting the Department of Homeland Security. He directed the NextGen Air Transportation Consortium at N.C State University. Stone co-founded and is president of The Stone Agency marketing and consulting firm with expertise to take emerging mobility technologies to market.
The Collective will continue to build and expand its network of partners.
About the Advanced Mobility Collective
The Advanced Mobility Collective is a private, nonprofit facilitator of innovation building an ecosystem of business, government and research partners to birth new services using drones and autonomous vehicles. As a catalyst for collaboration worldwide, the Collective reduces barriers and unites essential components for new mobility and transportation services. The Collective is actively seeking partners to join the global conversation. For more information, visit www.amc.org
About the Wireless Research Center
The WRC is a nonprofit organization supporting clients globally with unique applied research, engineering services and testing for communication technologies. The WRC accelerates the rate of scientific innovation as a network design and Internet of Things (IoT) consultant and certified testing facility for the CTIA and many wireless network providers. The WRC fosters innovation and collaboration among commercial partners, industry groups, academic institutions and research organizations. The WRC is leading the deployment and operation of advanced wireless 5G testbeds for the nation’s third advanced wireless research platform supported by an industry consortium and a $24 million grant from the National Science Foundation. Initial testbeds for autonomous drone and mobility systems are planned for Raleigh and Cary. For more information, visit www.wrc-nc.org.
About WakeMed Health & Hospitals
Serving the community since 1961, WakeMed is a not-for-profit health care system founded and based in Raleigh, N.C. The largest health system in Wake County, WakeMed exists to improve the health and well-being of our community by providing outstanding and compassionate care to all. The 941-bed system comprises a network of facilities throughout the Triangle area, including three full-service hospitals, seven emergency departments, a dedicated Children’s Hospital and Rehabilitation Hospital, more than 80 physician offices and Wake County’s only Level I Trauma Center. WakeMed’s mission-driven team includes more than 9,700 employees, 1,500 volunteers, 1,300 affiliated physicians and 525 employed physicians. WakeMed is also home to WakeMed Innovations, dedicated to taking ideas from conception to reality by connecting partners, employees and providers with tools and resources to accelerate innovation and enhance patient care. For more information, visit wakemed.org.
About Cherokee Nation Business
Cherokee Nation Business is the economic engine of the Cherokee Nation, the largest Indian Nation in the United States. From aerospace manufacturing and health sciences to technological innovations and consulting services, Cherokee Nation Businesses supports a broad range of federal and commercial initiatives including robotics testing and integration. For more information, visit www.cherokeenationbusinesses.com
About The Stone Agency
Based in Raleigh, NC, and founded in 1995, The Stone Agency is a fully integrated consulting and marketing services firm with a rare fusion of strategic consulting and best-in-class marketing services. The Stone Agency specializes in providing its clients with actionable knowledge and insights that drive results in a specific and measurable way. To learn more, visit www.TheStoneAgency.com.
Media Contacts
Scott Yates (for The Collective)
919-649-6621
scott@onpointprgroup.com
Kristin Kelly
WakeMed Health & Hospitals
919-350-5921
krkelly@wakemed.org