Doping-ITA completes 1,000-km drone test in AlaskaDoping-ITA在阿拉斯加完成1000公里无人机测试
Sept 16 (Reuters) - The International Testing Agency (ITA) has completed a 1,000-km test flight in Alaska to examine whether anti-doping blood samples can withstand long journeys without being affected.
FILE PHOTO: Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Doping Press Conference, Tokyo, Japan - July 22, 2021 ITA Director General Benjamin Cohen during a press conference REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger/File Photo
Sept 16 (Reuters) - The International Testing Agency (ITA) has completed a 1,000-km test flight in Alaska to examine whether anti-doping blood samples can withstand long journeys without being affected.
The trial explored whether drones could offer an additional way of moving samples from testing sites to laboratories, particularly when distance, terrain or tight timelines make traditional transport methods more challenging.
"Through this research, we are assessing whether drone technology can become a reliable additional option for transporting samples over long distances or across difficult terrain," ITA Director General Benjamin Cohen said in a statement.
The ITA said researchers divided anonymised blood samples from healthy volunteers into two groups, with one travelling aboard the drone and the other held back as a control.
Sensors recorded temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, vibration and acceleration during the journey, with the agency saying the data would help determine whether drone transport influences the biomarkers used in anti-doping analysis.
The autonomous heavy-lift aircraft, built byWindracers, flew the route from Nenana Municipal Airport on August 19, with operational support from the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI).
The project builds on a smaller-scale study conducted in Doha in 2022, when drones transported blood samples over distances of up to 20 km.
The ITA said the work is intended to explore a possible supplementary transport option rather than replace existing delivery methods.
(Reporting by Paras J. Haji in BengaluruEditing by Toby Davis)
Thank you for your report!
资料照片：2021年7月22日，东京奥运会——兴奋剂新闻发布会，日本东京，国际反兴奋剂机构总干事本杰明·科恩在新闻发布会上。路透社/莱昂哈德·福格/资料照片
9 月 16 日（路透社）——国际检测机构 (ITA) 已在阿拉斯加完成了一次 1000 公里的测试飞行，以检验反兴奋剂血液样本能否在长途旅行中不受影响。
该试验探索了无人机是否可以提供一种将样本从测试地点运送到实验室的额外方法，尤其是在距离、地形或时间紧迫等因素使传统运输方法更具挑战性的情况下。
“通过这项研究，我们正在评估无人机技术是否可以成为长途或穿越复杂地形运输样本的可靠补充选择，”国际运输署署长本杰明·科恩在一份声明中表示。
ITA表示，研究人员将健康志愿者的匿名血液样本分成两组，一组随无人机一起旅行，另一组作为对照组。
传感器记录了旅程中的温度、湿度、大气压力、振动和加速度，该机构表示，这些数据将有助于确定无人机运输是否会影响反兴奋剂分析中使用的生物标志物。
这架由 Windracers 公司制造的自主重型运输飞机于 8 月 19 日从内纳纳市立机场起飞，并得到了阿拉斯加无人机系统集成中心 (ACUASI) 的运营支持。
该项目建立在 2022 年在多哈进行的一项小规模研究的基础上，当时无人机将血液样本运送了长达 20 公里的距离。
ITA表示，这项工作的目的是探索一种可能的补充运输方案，而不是取代现有的运输方式。
（Paras J. Haji在班加罗尔报道，Toby Davis编辑）
感谢您的报告！