Abstract:In contrast to their use in warfare and surveillance, there is growing interest in the potential of "drones for good" to deliver societal benefits, for example by delivering medical products and other essential goods. Yet development of medical and commercial delivery has been limited globally by restrictive regulation to protect airspace safety and security. In this paper we examine how certain African countries have become testbeds for new forms of drone infrastructure and regulation, driven by the overlappi… Show more
“…A cognitive robot is an autonomous robot that is capable of inference, perception, and learning based on the three-level computational intelligence known as imperative, autonomic, and cognitive intelligence [58] . Cognitive robots provide a new approach to implementing and simulating natural intelligence by using artificial and computational intelligence technologies [59] . These technologies assist to build cognitive robots that can learn, reason and are easily integrated into cognitive systems.…”
Section: Results Analysismentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Innovative technologies such as robotics and drones are in developmental stages and still require further refinement to improve technology-user interfaces. Nations when adopting these technologies need to also set up regulatory and monitoring frameworks to monitor usage and address any challenges [61] .…”
“…A cognitive robot is an autonomous robot that is capable of inference, perception, and learning based on the three-level computational intelligence known as imperative, autonomic, and cognitive intelligence [58] . Cognitive robots provide a new approach to implementing and simulating natural intelligence by using artificial and computational intelligence technologies [59] . These technologies assist to build cognitive robots that can learn, reason and are easily integrated into cognitive systems.…”
Section: Results Analysismentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Innovative technologies such as robotics and drones are in developmental stages and still require further refinement to improve technology-user interfaces. Nations when adopting these technologies need to also set up regulatory and monitoring frameworks to monitor usage and address any challenges [61] .…”
“…These drones also transport blood and essential medications to far to reach and deprived communities. Although the use of drones for medical purposes has been faced with challenges in other parts of Africa, 29 its benefits during the Coronavirus pandemic cannot be overstated.…”
The Coronavirus pandemic has destabilized many healthcare systems globally since the outbreak was announced. The mode of transmission of the virus has affected the traditional face-to-face mode of seeking healthcare. The world health organization recommends measures, including limiting physical contact as a means of preventing the spread of the virus. Many countries across the world are utilizing telemedicine during this pandemic to provide basic healthcare to their citizens. The implementation of telemedicine in sub–Saharan Africa has encountered many challenges. The surge in the number of covid-19 cases in Ghana calls for drastic measures to contain the repercussions of the pandemic. The Government of Ghana and other private organizations continue to scale up efforts to integrate telemedicine into the mainstream healthcare system. This study seeks to explore and provide insight into the state of telemedicine in Ghana prior to and during the Coronavirus pandemic. This study is a narrative review of literature on the use of telemedicine in Ghana. Data was obtained from PubMed, Embase, ScienceDirect, Scopus and Google Scholar. A secondary search was conducted on government of Ghana health agencies’ websites and other relevant websites that published information on telemedicine in Ghana. Literature was analysed and topically discussed based on identified themes. There is an improvement in the number of information and communication technology coordinated healthcare services in Ghana since the outbreak was confirmed. Public-private partnership is required to boost the integration of telemedicine into mainstream healthcare in Ghana.
“…An interesting case describing the complexity of developing air space regulations was presented by Lockhart et al regarding the drone services that have been implemented in Tanzania and Rwanda since 2017 [40]. The process from unregulated drone applications to a regulated air space to enable regular and advanced medical delivery networks included multiple steps, with re-regulations and closing down airspace demanding substantial invested resources from both governments and stakeholders in the process.…”
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, drones) are expected to save transport time and improve service reliability for transport of biologic samples, but few studies have evaluated the potential time savings of such services. The total transport time defined as time from sample ready for transport until arrival at the laboratory was used to assess the absolute and relative time savings of drones compared with ground transport, using ground distances from 4–7 km (urban model) to 179–262 km (rural district routes) with one to eight daily scheduled trips. Costs of existing ground transport were allocated to drone flight times as a proxy for drone cost competitiveness. Time savings were less than 20–30% in the urban model but 65–74% in the rural routes using drone speeds of 100 km/h, but the time between trips (route frequencies) and drone speeds influenced the relative time savings substantially. Cost of time gains per number of samples was less favorable using drones in the rural models due to lower transport volumes. This research concludes that drone solutions provide marginal gains for short-distance transports, whereas time savings are more promising in long transport models with appropriate scheduling and sufficiently high drone speeds.
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