Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
The coronavirus was declared a global pandemic by the WHO on the 11th March 2020. The virus spreads rapidly, and even though it has a low death rate, it has disrupted significant sectors of the world economy as there’s a restriction of several activities. All these in a bid to curb the novel Covid-19.
The coronavirus has spread across the globe, killing young and old alike. However, the older age group is more susceptible to the infection. Several countries around the world have enforced lockdowns in their counties, halting a plethora of activities.
With several measures in place to reduce the spread of this malignant virus, which includes isolation of patients and the ‘stay at home’ rule for everyone, let’s see how the use of drones can help to reduce the spread of Covid-19 drastically.
Virus detection and broadcasting
In a bid to curb the coronavirus, the University of South Australia teamed up with Dragonfly to create drones that employ temperature sensors as well as computer vision in identifying the symptoms of infectious respiratory dysfunction.
Drones have now become invaluable tools to capture expansive areas as well as communicate in intricate areas.
These drones make it easy to efficiently scan a particular area and pass across messages, such as telling people to use their face masks or to remain indoors if the place has been infected. All while keeping officials from contact with people that are likely affected, simultaneously.
Delivery of food and medical supplies
Seeing how deadly the pandemic is, local governments urge their citizens to limit exposure and stay indoors. And also with most eateries closed, demand for the delivery of food is on the rise.
However, the lockdown has strained the food delivery system. Because the Covid-19 is highly infectious, delivery services now opt for contactless delivery alternatives.
While drones are not quite full-scale yet, they have been successfully used by the JD company in delivering food parcels in some remote areas in China. Drones have also been used to drop medical supplies in the US and the Dominican Republic.
Disinfecting of common areas
While a lot of information about the virus is being discovered and spread across the world. There is concrete evidence that this virus survives on hard surfaces for a few hours or even several days. This causes public spaces that have been occupied by infected persons to pose a risk of infection to others.
In a bid to ensure that those public spaces are disinfected to curb the spread of the virus, agricultural drones have been modified to clean large areas by spraying disinfectant. This method has proven to be quite useful in limiting the spread of the virus. Surroundings are being sterilized without humans needing to enter an infected area while risking contracting the deadly virus.
Countries like China, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Indonesia have been successfully sprayed with these disinfecting drones.
Surveillance drones
With the increasing numbers of countries entering lockdown to combat the coronavirus, the drone technology is quite helpful in ensuring that everyone adheres to every measure that has been put in place to curb the deadly Covid-19.
China has used surveillance drones to remind citizens that quarantine measure is in place and also to enforce the vital rules of social distancing.
This trend has also become popular among countries, as many states use drones with speakers to urge the public to remain at home and to abstain from any public gathering.
With the introduction of drones in the fight against Covid-19, it is safe to say that drones might as well become indispensable tools in the healthcare sector.
Who would have thought that strange occurrence like a spread of a virus will bring more business to companies that sell drones. It should be no surprise that in times we relay more and more on the use of modern technologies to help us combat life threatening situations.
