When it comes to problem solving, sometimes the only way is up… Drones are helping to solve issues that have otherwise come to a full stop by revolutionising the way in which we tackle some of the biggest social and environmental issues that we have faced and currently facing. Paragon Drones will highlight in this article three ways in which drones offer their precision, speed, and cutting-edge technology to help with major societal issues and events.
supporting refugee rescue missions
All over the world, there is an issue where refugees are fleeing countries where they are not safe in, as a result of persecution, conflict, violence or human right violations. According to Brookings on average 37,000 new people are forced to flee their homes every day. Sadly, thousands of refugees and migrants have died trying to get to safety, with over 34,000 people having died trying to get to Europe alone. There have been many tech solutions to help curb the global refugee crisis but drones are
proving particularly helpful. The NGO Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) has been using drone technology to find vessels carrying people who might be in trouble at sea with an infrared-enabled camera which sends signals and coordinates back to
base to allow an organised rescue to take place efficiently.
It has also been recorded by the UN, that drones have been extending Wi-Fi connectivity, from the sky to the ground, to provide refugee camps access to the internet.
Waste management
The importance of waste management and the effect it has on our environment has recently been highlighted by David Attenborough. We are all striving to do our bit to help protect the environment and an easy way to do this is by household recycling. However, on a much larger scale, drones are helping with recycling and biodegradation when it comes to cleaning our oceans. RanMarine’s ‘WasteShark’ is a drone that is used to collect waste in ports and harbours. It is capable of clearing up to 500kg of debris in a day with zero greenhouse emissions.
Disaster relief
When post disaster conditions are too difficult to access, drones have been taking on the roles of providing a rapid response. From mapping out areas to gain more awareness of the scale of a situation to searching for survivors, drones are on hand
to help when we cannot.
In 2018, you might have been following the news when two British divers were part of the major mission to dive deep into the Tham Luang cave to locate and rescue the children’s football team and their coach. A 30 strong team of divers and engineers were assisting in the search on-site and decided to bring in three aerial drones to
help. The drones were fitted with optical zoom lenses and thermal cameras. The drones were then used to create a 3D aerial map of the area which allowed the team to spot potential access points into the cave from above. The drones were able to
simplify the search by checking over 100 potential access channels, which saved crucial time and manpower.
Now, we bet you did not know that something so small could be providing help and solutions to so many issues?!
To find out how we can help you please contact us for a chat.