Drones Deliver Defibrillators

Drone deliveries of consumer purchases are being tested. While successful, their use in emergency situations may be a more public way to spread their adoption. In Sweden, drones are delivering defibrillators in response to emergency calls. Sometimes the ambulance arrives first, sometimes the drone. The ability to employ both highlights the need for immediate response to things like heart attacks, as well as the benefit of having more than one response. Some situations, like snow storms, may make ground transportation too difficult, or impossible. That is also true in disasters like floods and earthquakes. Amazon may make a much bigger business delivering packages, but delivering life-saving support may make sure drones will be part of our infrastructure.

“In Europe, about 275,000 patients suffer from cardiac arrest annually with approximately 70 percent of those arrests occurring in a private home without a defibrillator on site, according to Everdrone. The survival rate is around 10 percent.”

Just as with autonomous vehicles, the life savings and subsequent financial savings may matter more to regulators.