If you have been in to the Nicely Done Sites World HQ you have probably seen our drone. Drones are doing amazing things from photography to delivering packages to giving emergency services an extra set of eyes after a disaster. They have helped to keep people out of harm’s way and have certainly saved lives along the way. That has just scratched the surface of the humanitarian work that a drone can do.
Where can drones be utilized everyday?
In many of the remotest parts of the world emergency services are hard to find. The services may be non-existent in remote villages in the world or the doctor could be miles away. When an emergency happens seconds count and can be the difference between life and death but how can this be overcome in the remotest parts of the world?
This has been an issue that many that have lived with in rural communities or in out of the way places have had to balance and struggle with. In 1925 when a diptheria outbreak occurred in Nome, Alaska the life saving medicine has taken from Anchorage through blizzard conditions by a series of dog sled teams in what became known as the Great Race of Mercy. It took five and a half days to cover the 675 miles from Anchorage to Nome but officially as many as seven people died (but probably more did among the Eskimo population). This great achievement is celebrated every year with the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. What if there was an easier way?
Drones could save your life one day
Today there is. Zipline has launched the first drone delivery system capable of delivering medicine, blood and vaccines to a spot the size of two parking spaces. The service is already in use in Rwanda and has sought FAA approval to operate in the United States. The first delivery in Rwanda was in October of 2016 and cut the delivery of vital medicines from several hours to 30 minutes. Lives have been saved and many more in the future certainly will be. With more than 2 billion people lacking easy access to medicine around the globe one can certainly see the potential impact.
Drones are the obvious choice. Zipline’s weighs 44 pounds and it can carry around 4 pounds of cargo. Natural terrain like mountains or bodies of water will no longer be an obstacle. Natural disasters like flooding or a washed out road will not keep the medicine from getting through at a critical time. The drone itself can make up to 500 deliveries a day and that could be a real life saver.