Can drones deliver emergency defibrillators?

epa04466924 A woman gives a demonstration of an ambulance drone with built in defibrillator at the campus of the Delft Technical University in Delft, The Netherlands, 28 October 2014. The small aircraft, designed by Alec Momont of the Delft Technical University, weighs some four kg and can fly at speed of 100 km and can quickly deliver a defibrillator to patients suffering a cardiac arrest. EPA/BAS CZERWINSKI

A drone network could be deployed to speed defibrillators to bystanders trying to help people in cardiac arrest, getting the devices to the patient faster than emergency services, a recent Canadian study suggests. 

Researchers examined historical data on 53,702 cardiac arrests over 26,851 square kilometres (10,367 square miles) of rural and urban regions surrounding Toronto, Ontario, to see how drones might be deployed to get help to cardiac arrest patients more quickly than typical 911 response times.