The Zipline International headquarters sit on a patch of farmland that clings to the California coast.
On a single day, there's rain, sunshine, high winds, and fog. It sits out of sight of any roads or cities.
The conditions are just perfect for the stealth startup's purposes: to design and test a drone that will someday deliver medical supplies to the most remote areas of the world, in all types of weather.
A staggering 95% of all roads in Africa wash out annually, making it nearly impossible for patients in some developing countries to receive the medical supplies they need when they actually need them.
Zipline wants to replace traditional modes of transportation with drones, potentially offering an affordable, efficient, and reliable means of aid.
On May 9, Zipline announced a partnership with UPS allowing it to work on the technology necessary to drop vaccines and antivenom via drone by the end of 2016.
Tech Insider recently toured the top-secret Zipline headquarters to see the life-saving drone in action.
This little guy — a drone that looks more like a character from the "Cars" spinoff movie "Planes" than a quadcopter — could be the future of the healthcare industry.
In Rwanda, some 30,000 people receive blood transfusions annually for postpartum hemorrhaging, severe anemia due to malaria infection, and other fatal conditions.
Typically, a hospital worker will drive two hours to the nearest blood bank to collect donations, if the roads are passable. Storms often wipe out roads in rural areas.
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