During a 911 emergency, everyone is rightly expected to get out of the way of first responders driving to the scene. But these vehicles still need to follow roads, which most likely do not provide a straight shot to their destination. Traveling as the crow flies would be far more efficient—and that’s precisely the idea behind this remarkable drone-powered project.

A Duke Health project is using drones to deliver treatment devices during real medical emergencies in Clemmons, North Carolina. Described as a “first-of-its-kind study in the U.S.,” the drones carry automated external defibrillators (AEDs—devices used to re-establish an effectual heartbeat rhythm in individuals experiencing cardiac arrest) to bystanders before EMS (emergency medical services) can get there, with the goal of decreasing cardiac arrest response times.