BY: CLAIRE KIM
The idea of using drones for the ‘social good’ is exceptional. Along with the many drone purposes that have been proposed so far, I feel that this article states the most effective way to help our society healthcare wise.
Zipline, which has started this project of drone usage for delivering medical supplies across the states announced that the name of their drone contraptions was called “Zips”. It’s honestly really exciting how we can develop a process using drones to help medical foundations all over the US.
It seems like the delivery process is actually really simple. They use the method of airdropping to release the items beneath a parachute and then fly back through a GPS navigation system which is already programmed into the drone. I was really taken aback when the article mentioned that these drones were unmanned just because the idea of only relying on a navigation system through the whole journey seemed so unreal. I guess the idea of placing a pilot in an eight-foot wingspan aircraft would be slightly impossible.
Honestly, when I heard that they were trying to use a fleet of drones for delivery purposes it surprised me because of the many issues it might encounter such as regulations with aircraft safety, privacy, safety, and other factors that may lead up to larger problems.
When I was reading about the many approvals that Zipline needed to get, it made me realize how much work and deals it still needs to go through before this delivery method is launched and in action. I mean it was no brainer that there were many rules to look upon for safety anyways.
Once this usage of drones is acceptable, I think that in the long run, it will really help the US as a whole to become more open towards medical help and expertise in many different approaches. Thanks to the excellent idea that Zipline proposed, not only do I hope that the project will become a success, but I also hope that this project will let people realize how much more drones can be used.
claire kim. 