I think the world has become fascinated by drones. I know I have. I got one for Christmas and it’s really fun to play with. The one I got is really hard to fly, but in many ways that makes it more fun.
What a lot of people don’t realize is how many ways drones are going to be part of our future life. No, I’m not talking about the military drones. In fact, using the term drones is so tied to the military that it’s almost not right to use the term. However, many people have become more familiar with drones thanks to Go pro cameras that are attached and bring us some really amazing footage even from amateurs.
Another thing that has helped people to understand the impact of drones is when Amazon talked about using drones to deliver products. That’s a powerful idea. It’s still a few years away at least, but it’s exciting that some of the smartest people in the world are working on it.
What I love about the Amazon example is that there are many things in life where you need to get a physical object somewhere quickly. As good as UPS and FedEx have become, drones could take this to the next level of speed and efficiency.
In healthcare, I think about emergency incidents. Could drones play a role in getting healthcare supplies to a disaster area that is inaccessible for ambulances and other emergency personnel? If you’ve ever seen the ambulances in Italy trying to navigate traffic, you can see how a drone would be much more effective. If it had a mounted camera with video streaming, those in the hospital could literally see what’s happening and provide remote support to the bystanders at the scene. Is that a new form of 911 experience?
We already know that drones are being used in third world countries to distribute medical supplies as well. It’s a powerful thing. I can’t remember where I saw it, but I once saw a map that mapped out how many drones it would take to cover an entire country. It was amazing to see this map of overlapping circles. Plus, the drone technology is going to get better and better.
There are certainly a lot of challenges and questions about pricing and privacy when it comes to drones and healthcare, but I’m excited about the possibilities. I’m sure there are plenty of more opportunities as well that we just haven’t had time to think of yet.
