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Humanitarian Use of Drones

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Submitted by Alister Macintyre
Several thousand UAVs return to USA from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and there's talk about how they can be constructively re-purposed.  This outfit wants to use them for medical purposes.
Another outfit is considering a drone big enough to transport injured persons to where they can get medical treatment.  I imagine that in a war zone, the combatants might be shooting at these things.
Here's articles on http://matternet.net/  Autonomous Aerial Vehicles (AAV) 
The Dominican Republic is financing a pilot project for the company.
The Matternet quadcopters are based on open-source technology from DIY Drones
The illustration shows the drone is helicopter for landing anywhere more easily than the plane format of US military, which needs a landing strip.
The inital prototype, a quadcopter design, can carry about 2.2 pounds; a later version would carry a little more than 4 pounds, the company says. The copters are based on an open-source control system from DIY Drones, CNET says.
The concept will be field-tested in three stages. The first will carry a two-kilogram payload. Phase two will add automated recharging stations and test a load of 200 kilograms. Phase three will attempt to transport 1,000 kilograms. The prototype’s current range is 10 kilometers.
The company says a complete kit should sell for around $2,500.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-19882_3-20098172-250/matternet-delivers-drugs-by-robocopter/ 

There will be regulations for using this stuff in anyone air space.
Oh, I originally found out about this thanks to a discussion on Google Plus.


Alister Wm Macintyre (Al Mac) pro bono volunteer
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