HOW DRONES ARE SAVING LIVES
is held at the health facility and there ’ s a power outage , then there ’ s a high risk of spoilage for those vaccines ,” explains Rupani . “ But by introducing smaller , more frequent deliveries , the amount of vaccine being held at the health facility is small . It ’ s actually possible that you can get better performance for no additional cost .”
Zipline safely stores all medical products at its distribution center , enabling immediate access to even the most sensitive or scarce items . The process begins when workers at remote clinics and hospitals text orders to Zipline for the medical products they need , exactly when they need it .
Within minutes the drone is launched , and races to its drop point at 110 km / h . Once there , the package is gently delivered by a paper parachute . Hospital staff are notified of its arrival , so there ’ s no danger of it falling into the wrong hands .
While many Rwandan citizens were understandably bemused by these low-flying aircraft when they were first introduced , they were soon lining the perimeter of the base , cheering every launch and landing of the ‘ sky ambulances ’.
By spring 2018 , the Tanzanian government will begin using drones to make up to 2,000 life-saving deliveries per day to over one 1,000 health facilities , serving 10mn people across the country . That ’ s an incredible achievement , but drone technology doesn ’ t only have the advantage in remote areas : it will also take over from traditional road or air deliveries in areas where infrastructure is usually sound , but has been hit by natural disasters such as earthquakes or hurricanes . When roads are blocked and people are hard to reach , drones will make a real difference .
“ There is a large humanitarian emergency use case for drones ,” says Rupani . “ Organisations like Medicin Sans Frontiers ( MSF ) and the World Health Organisation are looking closely into the disaster relief cases .”
Indeed , drones have the potential to saves lives anywhere in the world – some with our help . The TU Delft Ambulance Drone , for example , is still in development , but has been designed as a prototype that integrates a cardiac defibrillator and a two-way communication radio and video to the side of the drone . In case of cardiac arrest , emergency services
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