Can Drones Identify COVID-19 Symptoms From The Sky?

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world’s largest online market research store and makes a powerful and indisputable case for the important role drones have played in the COVID-19 pandemic. So many people have asked, it possible for drones to identify COVID-19 symptoms from the sky?

According to ResearchAndMarkets.com, there are at least 5 ways that drones are used in effort to fight this novel virus.

  1. Virus Detection by Drones

The University of South Australia has joined with Draganfly Incorporation to develop Pandemic Drones to help limit exposure to the coronavirus and, ultimately, flatten the curve.

Thermal imaging is the latest field within the intelligence community to be developed, which includes the usage of measurements and signatures intelligence (MASINT). China has shown that thermal imaging cameras on drones deployed over high-exposure situations, are taking the temperatures of groups of people and have the ability to take the temperatures of individual patients under investigation.

Drones are using temperature sensors and computer vision to identify symptoms of infectious respiratory disease. These new Pandemic Drones will be able to remotely monitor temperature, heart, and respiratory rates in addition to detecting coughing and sneezing at a distance of up to 10 miles. This makes it possible to give researchers an accurate idea of how widespread a virus is by remotely monitoring public spaces and crowded areas, such as malls, parks, airports, healthcare facilities, etc.

  1. Sprayer Drones

Agricultural drone models, which were originally intended to spray crops with pesticides, have been modified by Chinese drone makers to spray disinfectant over large areas. Several disinfections by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have proven to be a very effective means because it makes it possible for large spaces to be sterilized without the need for humans to enter an infected area. This eliminates the risk of contracting the coronavirus. It is no wonder that these disinfecting Pandemic Drones have been used successfully in countries like China, Chile, Indonesia, Philippines, Colombia, United Arab Emirates, and Spain, the first European country.

  1. Food Delivery by Drones

The demand for food delivery services has become acute in many areas since most restaurants and cafes closed when the public was urged to stay in their homes to slow, and possibly stop, the outbreak of coronavirus. Because of the highly contagious nature of COVID-19, much more contagious than other viruses such as the flu, an increasing number of delivery services are choosing “contactless delivery” to minimize the risk of customers and delivery drivers being exposed to infection. UAVs are the perfect solution for contactless food delivery. JD is a Chinese e-commerce company, in fact, the largest e-commerce company in the world by far, that offers every kind of product imaginable, and they have been successfully delivering food parcels to remote areas in China.

  1. Surveillance Drones

Although some countries are emerging from lockdown, other countries are entering lockdown to combat the spread of Covid-19. For such countries, drones are becoming an important tool in making sure that the public is following the strict guidelines in place. Some of the surveillance drones that have been used in China have become that are known for their aggressive approach to reminding citizens of the quarantine measures and enforcing social-distancing rules from loudspeakers. In Spain, as the number of positive tests continued to rise, more lockdown recommendations and orders have been put in place. The police deployed drones over crowds that were not complying with social distancing recommendations, and broadcasted messages over speakers to force crowds to disperse.

This has become a trend in many nations as more and more countries are deploying UAVs, fitted with loudspeakers, to urge members of the public to remain in their homes and stay away from public gatherings.

5. Emergency Medical Delivery by Drones Covid-19 has led to increased pressure on health services across the world for laboratory testing and also for an urgent demand for protective equipment to enable remote monitoring of people with milder symptoms. Flying robots have played a key role in quickly transporting samples from hospitals to laboratories, delivering essential protective equipment (such as gloves and masks), and in bringing medical devices to patients’ homes to make remote monitoring possible.

Future

We have seen how Pandemic Drones have slowed the spread of the coronavirus in 5 different ways. To the question of whether drones identify Covid-19 from the sky, the answer is most definitely, “Yes.” The SkyDrones not only have detected viruses, but also sprayed disinfections, delivered food, surveyed and monitored citizens with loudspeakers, and have also delivered medical supply.

The Covid-19 response has clearly shown that unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are more than just an “eye in the sky” aid.

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