COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus, has continued its rapid spread across the globe resulting in over 3,000,000 cases dispersed throughout 200 countries. As we begin to understand more about COVID-19, we face new challenges in beginning to fight it. How can one effectively stem the transmission of a highly infectious disease without placing themselves at risk in the process? A coalition of drone pilots and engineers in Mexico offer a creative solution to this pressing problem.
The Drones Mexico vs. COVID-19 initiative seeks to leverage both drone technology and volunteer support to help slow the spread of coronavirus in Mexico, a country that does not possess the necessary economic resources to take some of the more extreme measures that other countries are able to employ. Instead, Drones Mexico vs COVID-19 has outfitted drones with an array of tools to curtail the spread of the coronavirus in public places without risking lives. Currently, the coalition is taking a three pronged approach to intervention: sanitization, patrolling, and delivering supplies.
Agricultural drones have been refitted to dispense liquid disinfectant solutions, allowing public spaces to be disinfected remotely. According to Julie de Rycke, a Drones Mexico representative, such drones are able to sanitize 600 meters of public space in less than five minutes. Other drones are equipped with speakers and thermal cameras, allowing them to remotely take people’s temperatures and deliver messages from the local government to the public. Others still are being used to transport up to five kilograms per drone worth of food, medicine, and protective equipment to those in need, says de Rycke. All in all, Drones Mexico currently possesses twenty-nine agricultural drones for sanitizing purposes, and 310 drones equipped to make deliveries and interact with the public.
As ingenious as using drones to remotely fight COVID-19 is, what may be even more impressive is the community aspect of the initiative. Drones Mexico is a non-profit organization, sourcing volunteers from across Mexico to come together and donate their time and equipment in support of their country. Currently, Drones Mexico has volunteers in 31 of 32 Mexican states, working closely with state governments to intervene in problem areas as they begin to appear. The goal here is much larger than just showcasing the limitless possibilities of drones, owning a drone is not even a requirement to volunteer, but rather to come together as a country and take a stand. “We are trying to help as many people as we can,” says de Rycke, “We are not looking for any profits, we just want to work for our country to try and decrease the spread as much as possible.”
Luis Escobedo, founder of the Drones Mexico vs COVID-19 initiative, also serves as VP of Growth for Aerospec Technologies. Aerospec specializes in solar, wind, and agricultural drone based solutions, and as such it has offered its hardware and engineering expertise to help develop these creative solutions. By providing our technologies and hardware, Aerospec is committed to aiding in the fight against COVID-19. We are proud to assist Drones Mexico in their mission and look forward to furthering developing innovative solutions in the future.
Please visit https://www.dronesvscovid19.org/en/ to learn more or volunteer, and visit https://www.aerospec.us/ to learn about how the technology that drives Drones Mexico vs COVID-19 is revolutionizing renewable energy inspection.
