Unmanned aerial vehicles are more often in the news for combat missions, and taking outrageous selfies. However there is a new role for drones emerging. This is especially true for smaller ones with power by lithium-polymer batteries. Because aid agencies want to turn them into ‘agents of hope’. They envisage inoculation kits, critical medication, and other humanitarian aid delivered by battery power thanks to these amazingly inventive devices.
Peering into the Eye of a Volcano
In the first instance, students in Costa Rica hope to avoid human devastation by understanding how volcanoes work. Accordingly they are hard at work re-purposing surplus unmanned aerial vehicles using 3-D printed parts. They are joining them together and lengthening their wings because they can fly further with double battery power.
When complete, their first task will be to fly through volcanic plumes and observe lava flows. Their x-factor is their electric motors are immune to aerial contamination. Secondly, the long-term goal is predicting lava flows and evacuating areas punctually. In this way, they hope to reduce the need for humanitarian aid for people living near eruptions.
Humanitarian Aid Delivered by Battery Power in Peru
A company named WeRobotics is helping humanitarian agencies upscale their effectiveness through unmanned solutions including drones. During December 2016, it re-purposed a $3,000 mapping drone so it could deliver anti-venom serum, and blood for transfusions. The destinations were remote villages in the Amazonian jungle that are a six-hour trip by riverboat.
These test flights proved that simpler can also be the most effective. Their lightweight, $3,000 battery power drone outperformed a purpose-made $40,000 cargo version. This perfectly expresses the WeRobotics slogan of ‘appropriate technology’ for the times.
A Bright Future for Drones Flown in the Name of Progress
We see great hope in these exciting new developments. We share WeRobotics’ vision of a Peru-wide network of medical cargo drones they call Flying Labs. Humanitarian aid delivered by battery power will save the lives of snakebite victims. They might otherwise die unattended in remote areas of the Amazon jungle.
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Preview Image: Amazon Jungle
