Public health measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have introduced "social distancing" into the worldwide lexicon. Companies worldwide, according to The Guardian, are directing their ingenuity at the fight against the coronavirus. Hence, drone technology is being used to interrupt out into a mass service and reduce person-to-person contact.
In a crisis like the current pandemic has a manner of focusing the minds of regulators on this question. In this case, how are drones scaling up the game?
Medical drones
Zipline, a medical drone shipping system based in Africa, is hoping to release a similar program in the US to fight COVID-19. The delivery drones can transport essential supplies, like remedy and protective equipment, to remote places in minutes and can extensively improve the response to the coronavirus pandemic inside the United States.
Giving virtual tours of quarantined cities
Enthusiast site Drone DJ has an eerie roundup of drone photos of U.S. towns, which include New York, Los Angeles, and Boston. The drone enthusiast also included other global metro regions, which include Milan, Paris, and Zurich.
Identifying the sick
The Chinese authorities have been using drones thermal sensors to find humans walking in public places, according to a Wall Street Journal report. These authorities drones at the moment are scanning the population to see human beings, probably infected with COVID-19, who should not be out and about.
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Shame from above
The New York Times reported Britain's police pressure has been using drones to monitor people flouting the country's social distancing guidelines. Despite the outcries for a possible invasion of privacy, the Derbyshire police said they "will not be apologetic to using any legal and appropriate methods to keep people safe."
The Chinese government, which has long used technology amid an authoritarian regime, has been more ardent in its use of drones to put in force social distancing policies. Global Times-News, a state-controlled news outlet, said in January police in parts of Taizhou has been using drones with loudspeakers to deter human beings from gathering. In the Tweet below, a Chinese official chastises an older girl for being out in public without a mask and reminds her to clean her hands.
Walking around without a protective face mask? Well, you can't avoid these sharp-tongued drones! Many village and cities in China are using drones equipped with speakers to patrol during the #coronavirus outbreak. pic.twitter.com/ILbLmlkL9R — Global Times (@globaltimesnews) January 31, 2020
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Walking the dog
Dogs don't care about your quarantine. When a dog needs to head out, it wishes to move out. One Cypriot addressed this problem by way of attaching his Pomeranian's leash to his drone and putting them outside his door. According to DailyMail, Vakis Demetriou piloted the drone from the balcony outdoor of his quarantined home. It's uncertain who -- if anyone -- dealt with the aftermath.
Man uses a drone to walk his dog without leaving his house during coronavirus shutdown https://t.co/ZipdaEr0si — Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) March 23, 2020
Will it be the start of a technological revolution?
The opportunities offered by using drones are pervasive and have become essential to correctly attain virus control without setting unnecessary risk to operators and safety agents. Drones are becoming a trend in regions and sectors and could probably cause a total technological revolution.
