ABU DHABI // Drones are expected to be used to aid disaster response and relief in places where ground support is deemed impractical, aviation experts said.
Rescue robotics can be designed to find survivors in rubble and to extinguish fires.
“We believe that flying robots are going to come along that can carry precious payload, especially for medical uses, and eventually for e-commerce and agriculture,” said Jonathan Ledgard, director of Afrotech at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne.
Afrotech is an initiative to help pioneer advanced technologies in Africa.
In the past few years, experts believe progress in air ambulance work has been insufficient.
“We could do with a few more advancements – like UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] – to allow real-time assessment on the field and to drop medicine to areas that aren’t well-served by aircraft,” said Emma Finlay-Broadbelt, managing director at Kenya-based Phoenix Aviation.
“There are times when it’s very cumbersome to deliver medicine and relief cargo, so UAVs are the most critical element for us in creating a more holistic approach and a faster reaction time.”
In 2014, Abu Dhabi invested in drones to patrol its ports and strengthen the security of international ships docked here.
Drones are also being used by the Ministry of Labour to support its inspectors in recording breaches at building sites.
Experts said the benefits of using drones were unparalleled.
“If we are sending teams in to assist, we need to know what is the disposition of the disaster, access to the area, and what are the potential hazards. The key here is to have a quick assessment of the scale and nature of that disaster,” said Martin Sweeting, group executive chairman at Surrey Satellite Technology.
But providing that level of support is costly.
“The technology exists, but it’s not necessarily affordable,” said Ms Finlay-Broadbelt.
“That is the crux of it. If we could tap in to defence budgets, these aviation solutions [would be] available cost wise.”
cmalek@thenational.ae
