The article “Drones May Become ‘The Next Big Thing’ In Healthcare Delivery” by Balasubramanian (Jan 2022), suggests how drones can help to improve healthcare. A drone is an unmanned aircraft that can be controlled remotely or fly autonomously using flight plan software. It can do many things without risking the pilot's life and is often seen in aerial and military use. Nowadays, drones are widely available and play many essential roles in modern society. Among its usage, drones can be used for search and rescue, videography, and delivery services. In terms of features, drones consist of various cameras, navigation systems, artificial intelligence, and sensors. The cameras installed on the drones can have high-performance, zoom, gimbal Steadicam, and tilt capabilities. A navigation system such as GPS can help the user or artificial intelligence (AI) to navigate the drone to its destination and locate it when any accident should have happened. Drones can also be equipped with various sensors such as ultrasonic, laser, or lidar distance sensors, stabilization, and orientation sensors to prevent the drone from crashing. With the help of the features embedded in the drones, they can travel a long distance efficiently, quickly, and accurately. (Ben) The drones' capabilities are enormous, leading innovators to implement them in the healthcare department such as in China. Drones are designed to be more cost-effective, eco-friendly, and fast. Drones can help greatly improve healthcare capabilities by making healthcare widely accessible to people who live in rural areas, preventing viruses from spreading such as during covid 19, and saving people's lives quickly.
Firstly, drones are designed to be more cost-effective compared to normal delivery vehicles. According to research, delivery drones' energy consumption per package is 94% less than normal delivery vehicles. ‘Drones can deliver an average of 0.25 packages per kilometer, a one-way delivery distance of 2 km and consumes 0.08 MJ/km’, while a medium-duty diesel truck would need to deliver about 34 packages per kilometer to meet the drone’s performance. (Thiago, 2022) Drones are made up of interchangeable parts such as propellers, batteries, motors, and more which can be replaced easily and cheaply compared to normal vehicle maintenance.
Secondly, drones can travel faster compared to any vehicle. Drones can fly and do not rely on transportation structures such as roads which are resistant to disruption in the transportation system, unlike vehicles. (Yong Wang, Zheng Wang, Xiangpei, Guiqin & Xiangyang,2022) According to Thiago, drones would take around 15 minutes to deliver a biomedical sample while it will take 42 minutes for e-vans. (Thiago,2019) The average speed of a consumer drone range between 40 and 60 mph and a higher-tier drone can fly up to 100 mph. (Paul, n.d.) The speed of drones can help respond to emergencies such as cardiac arrest and deliver help as quickly as possible. It happens that a 71-year-old man is shoveling snow in his driveway and suffered from cardiac arrest with the swift delivery of an Automated defibrillator (AED), his life was saved. (Balasubramanian.2022)
Lastly, drones are considered eco-friendly compared to standard delivery vehicles. Drones delivery for medium-sized packages produces 9% less greenhouse gas emissions than truck delivery in California. (Technology Networks,2018) A drone is powered by lithium polymer batteries, the most common type of battery for the drone as it provides high energy density for the drone which emits almost no carbon dioxide into the environment. (Power Electronics News, 2019) While the average diesel delivery emits 18.7 tons of carbon dioxide annually.(Morgan,2021) Thus, using battery-powered delivery drones that are rechargeable can greatly reduce the carbon footprint compared to the environment and make healthcare delivery eco-friendly.
However, despite the advantages that the drone has in improving the quality of healthcare, there are also some limitations to its performance. A country such as Singapore has a restriction on drones, such as a permit needed to fly if the drone weighs more than 7 kilograms (15 pounds) or is flown above 60 meters (200 feet). (CAAS, 2022) It is also an invasion of privacy because most drones are equipped with cameras. There is also a concern about the battery of the drone when carrying a heavier load which greatly reduces the operation hours.
In conclusion, healthcare drones can help to provide a better healthcare system. They can respond to healthcare emergencies quickly and save lives, provide contactless delivery which can prevent the spread of viruses, and also help to reduce carbon emissions to the environment which has environmental and health impacts.
References
Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS). (2022, July 21). Drone Laws in Singapore [Updated July 21, 2022]. Drone Laws. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://drone-laws.com/drone-laws-in-singapore/
Lovati, S. (2019, April 4). The need for battery safety systems for drones. Power Electronics News. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://www.powerelectronicsnews.com/the-need-for-battery-safety-systems-for-drones/
Paul Posea. (n.d.). How Fast Can Drones Fly?(Comparing The Fastest Drones). Dronesgator.com. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://dronesgator.com/how-fast-can-drones-fly/
Sai Balasubramanian. (2022, January 9). Drones May Become ‘The Next Big Thing’ In Healthcare Delivery. Forbes. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/saibala/2022/01/09/drones-may-become-the-next-big-thing-in-healthcare-delivery/?sh=510fe7731e9b
Technology Networks. (2018, February 15). Drone Delivery Could Reduce Air Pollution. Technology Networks. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://www.technologynetworks.com/applied-sciences/news/drone-delivery-could-reduce-air-pollution-297526
Thaigo Tavares. (2019, November 13). Comparing the cost-effectiveness of drones v ground vehicles for medical, food and parcel deliveries. Unmanned Airspace. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://www.unmannedairspace.info/commentary/comparing-the-cost-effectiveness-of-drones-v-ground-vehicles-for-medical-food-and-parcel-deliveries/
Thiago A. Rodrigues. (2022, August 12). Drone flight data reveal energy and greenhouse gas emissions savings for very small package delivery. Science Direct. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666389922001805
Yong Wang. (2022, November). Truck–drone hybrid routing problem with time-dependent road travel time. Science Direct. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0968090X2200314X?casa_token=PSW_JRFu5aYAAAAA:tmqpsu1_TyKlJt0VgH0EN5ZQs0RCHpFSmlzZsmImlRtlZNMgE8ahVqD159x_12q7TfumV-VQEc4
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