key: cord-0696335-6gf7hkmj
authors: Sharma, Manik
title: Drone Technology for Assisting COVID-19 Victims in Remote Areas: Opportunity and Challenges
date: 2021-07-28
journal: J Med Syst
DOI: 10.1007/s10916-021-01759-y
sha: aa22dbcc3e349ce9e389411b8cae2e4567115dc2
doc_id: 696335
cord_uid: 6gf7hkmj

nan

found to be more effective to break the chain of this global epidemic infection. These drones have the potential to provide healthcare support by quickly and efficiently transporting the medicines, injections, and COVID-19 vaccination to remote areas. The on-time support of vaccination and medication can help in reducing the number of infections and save masses of human lives.

The key benefits of using a drone in providing support to COVID-19 victims in remote areas include a decline in the rate of COVID-19 afflicted or infected victims in the hospitals/clinics and, as a result the waiting time has been significantly reduced. The UAV services are more beneficial in remote locations with little or poor transportation infrastructure [8] . In case of strict lockdown or curfew, the drone can also be utilized for providing food and other essential products to the most afflicted COVID-19 zones. The camera implanted on the UAVs may also facilitate monitoring the real-time picture of lockdown and curfew enforced in various parts of the country. It can also be used as a surveillance tool for quarantined victims. These robotic tools will also be beneficial in spying or monitoring cinema halls, marriage palaces and other crowded areas to enforce strict social distancing rule governed by the government. In case of any violation, the needful action can be taken by the government.

However, several challenges lie in the implementation of this contactless delivery of healthcare products using UAVs. Firstly, the laws related to the use of this robotic tool are not crystal clear. The social impact i.e. people feel worried that the extensive use of these robotic tools will harm the labour market, as the transportation of the products does not require manpower. Technical constraints like the number, weight of the product and weather conditions are still a challenge for the drone industry. Moreover, the extensive use of drones may also pose a profound threat to civil aviation. The ability of a drone to capture the images or videos of persons, public and government properties may create a safety and privacy concern for the same [9] . This article is part of Topical Collection on Systems-Level Quality Improvement.

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