Drones Used to Improve Healthcare Delivery in Madagascar
Stony Brook UniversityDrones have become ubiquitous in our society; there is a national drone film festival, a national drone racing championship, and drones are being used extensively by the military for surveillance. But what would the world look like if this technology were used to improve the lives of the global poor? For the first time in history, drones are being used in a new, life-saving way to improve healthcare for vulnerable rural communities where delivery of care is hampered by poor or non-existent roads. Vayu, Inc. and Stony Brook University, with support from Madagascar government and backing from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), completed the first ever series of long-range, fully autonomous drone flights with blood and stool samples (watch video).