Idea Watch Feature Drone: Ambulance Drone A Belgian engineering graduate, Alec Momont has unveiled a drone he calls the Ambulance Drone that can deliver first aid equipment and even has a defibrillator attached to it. People suffering from cardiac arrest must receive immediate medical attention. Even a very slight delay in response time can drastically reduce their chance of survival. The ambulance drone can substantially reduce response time, significantly increasing the survival chances of people in need of immediate medical attention. The ambulance drone functions via tracking mobile calls and standard GPS protocols to determine the exact location of the caller. The drone has a microphone, speakers, and a camera that can be used to provide basic verbal assistance to the distressed caller to stabilize or revive the victim.
Commercial Applications of UAV Technology Agriculture The application of drones in agriculture deserves special mention due to the various merits and amazing potential to transform the economy by reducing costs and improving efficiency. Instead of farmers surveying the land on vehicles, they can use drones to survey from the air. The bird’s eye view of the land helps in shortening the process and saving one of the most precious resources: time. Furthermore, an agricultural drone is capable of spraying crops from a height of two to three feet above ground, resulting in more targeted application and less loss due to the effects of wind.
The agricultural use of drones can be segregated into two broad categories. First, equipped with the proper sensors, they can be used for remote sensing of disease or general health problems, look for areas of problem hydration, and gather data with which to chart growth and identify problems early in the growing season. Agricultural managers can then use this information for precise targeting of remedies, potentially using less of the remedy and reacting more quickly, improving or even saving crops. Second, drones can be equipped for application of fertilizers or herbicides and apply the same precisely when and where needed, possibly resulting in the use of fewer chemicals and lesser quantities.
Infrastructure Surveillance UAV technology possesses inherent surveillance qualities, making it a highly cost effective and pro-
ductive surveillance technique. The technology can be used for the surveillance of electrical infrastructure, pipelines, road conditions, etc. Surveying large land areas using ground transportation is extremely time consuming and arduous. A better solution was the use of helicopters, but this is expensive and poses risk to human life. By using drones rather than surface vehicles or helicopters, environmental disruption is reduced, capital and expense costs are far less, and there is no risk to life.
Disaster and Emergency Management Smaller hand launched drones have been developed which are equipped with sensors capable of detecting life, an application which is proving to be extremely helpful in disaster management and relief operations. Whether it’s monitoring or reconnaissance of disaster-affected regions or delivering relief articles to affected
Issue 5 - MAY 2015
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