Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to Deliver Medical and Emergency Supplies to Remote Areas

This chapter examines the role of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the delivery of medical and emergency supplies to remote areas. It outlines a number of potential considerations for operators wishing to use UAVs to deliver medical and emergency supplies to remote areas. These considerations address a number of practicalities in terms of the organisation that is wishing to conduct such operations, the operations themselves, and the technology that is used for such operations. These considerations primarily stem from the nature of the international regulatory framework for unmanned aircraft operations and the peculiarities of using a UAV to deliver medical and emergency supplies. The chapter will outline some of the practicalities that have been worked through or are being worked through during a project to deliver medical and emergency supplies in Northland, New Zealand. This will provide readers with examples of some of the real-world considerations that operators face as well as outline the positive community impact that such operations can provide.

Drones in Healthcare

This chapter discusses the use of drones in healthcare with a specific focus on humanitarian logistics. Drones have already been used in healthcare in different aspects, including transfer of blood products, search and rescue missions, or collecting different types of data including aerial photographs, air quality, or radiation levels. Even though the published research evidence in the area of “drones in healthcare” is almost 1% of the broader area of “drones,” the progress in public acceptance, regulations, as well as technology is undeniable. This chapter summarizes the different aspects regarding the use of drones in healthcare, while specifically focusing on humanitarian logistics. The SWOT analysis indicate that the strengths and opportunities weigh more than the weaknesses and threats, suggesting that drones will revolutionize the way medical supplies are delivered within the coming years.

The Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are present in our lives, and although they are mostly connected to military purposes, they are becoming more present in the commercial and civilian sector. Possible applications of UAVs in the commercial and civilian sector will open new possibilities for further research and development of UAVs. This movement can bring new investment and new jobs, but at the same time, it will influence the way some activities are being done now. The use of UAVs brings savings in the production cycles and improve current operations in various industrial sectors. The chapter gives a definition and explains different types and potential applications of unmanned aerial vehicles in the word as well as the potential economic impact of their development and use. In the second part, the chapter analyzes the application of drones in Turkey and Croatia. Although different in terms of their size and the number of inhabitants, both countries are at the same level in relation to UAV application. Applications in both countries are compared, and after that, a conclusion is drawn.

Delivery of Special Cargoes Using the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

This chapter presents the role, functions, and prospects of civil unmanned aerial vehicles development, as well as technical and regulatory barriers to the introduction of unmanned aircraft into special cargo transportation technology. The authors' main idea is that the degree of UAV involvement in freight traffic will continue to grow rapidly as the range of UAV flight and carrying capacity increases, and the air law is liberalized. It is proposed to evaluate the economic efficiency of UAV application and their share in the market for the transportation of urgent and perishable goods using the methodology based on the principles of logistics and mathematical modeling. In the formulated model, the process of special cargoes delivery by unmanned aerial vehicles is integrated into the supply chain by all modes of transport along the set route network, taking into account the requirements formulated by the freight forwarder, carrier, and logistics company.

Regulations and Laws Pertaining to the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) by ICAO, USA, China, Japan, Australia, India, and Korea

The drone industry is rapidly developing around the world, and the numbers of drones are increasing. In order to maintain safety and secure stability of drone flights, regulations and laws related to drone operations are established in each country. This chapter reviews the rules and laws of drones established by the International Civil Aviation Organization, the United States, China, Japan, Australia, India, and Korea. In order to protect victims and develop the drone industry, the author proposes that it is necessary and desirable for the legislation of a unified and global “Draft Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules Relating to Drone Operations and Transport.”

Drones to the Rescue

This chapter considers the potential operation of long-range drones to support the logistic response to a natural disaster using a case study of Cyclone Pam that struck Tafea Province of Vanuatu in March 2015. It provides an overview of how the core capabilities of such drones might be employed in order to overcome the key challenge facing humanitarian logisticians responding to such disasters – namely that of understanding the 6W problem of “who wants what where when and why.” The chapter then discusses the people, process, and technology issues that would need to be overcome in order to operationalize the concept.

Non-Technical Skills (NTS) Training for UAV Operators

In civilian operations, the utilization of UAVs is diverse and broad, the variations of UAVs are extensive, and the application needs and performance characteristics also vary significantly. To this end, the emerging opportunities for UAV operations have generated an urgent need for trained operators to ensure these systems are used effectively and safely. This chapter discusses the importance and integration of appropriate non-technical skills (NTS) training, particularly situation awareness (SA) and workload management, to further improve UAV mission effectiveness. The chapter explores technical design and human factors challenges impacting on UAV operations. By reviewing historical research and applicable studies in the field, the chapter also offers recommendations and solutions. While technical design solutions to UAV systems and interfaces are examined, the authors contend that specific training strategies, which focus on the human UAV operator, should also be considered.

The Changing Face of Airmanship and Safety Culture Operating Unmanned Aircraft Systems

The notion of using drones for commercial purposes has evolved in the past 5 years from the initial “boom” of excitement around this, somewhat of a novelty and curiosity, to more calculated and sophisticated use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or drones. In the hands of true professionals, drones can offer highly efficient and profitable solutions for industrial, and commercial inspections and other data capturing tasks. The appetite for safe and efficient collection of data is a changing face of safety cultures and how teams and individuals apply airmanship principles, and how inspection crew and UAS crew interact. UAS are no longer viewed as novelty or useful addition to the inspectors' “toolbox,” but as an integrated part of safety critical system. While there is much to be learned from tradition manned aviation, UAS pilots are confronted with different task priorities in order to effectively “aviate,” and therefore, like the changing face of airmanship and safety culture, to “aviate” emerges has having different attributes when compared to manned aviation.

Automated System of Controlling Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Group Flight

In this chapter, the authors present a problem of a performance of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) group flights for a solution of different tasks using criteria of efficiency (safety, regularity, efficiency, economy) and criteria of reliability (connectivity, structural redundancy, survivability, and compactness of connections; the relative distance between UAVs; centrality and periphery of UAVs in the group; the level of system centralizing; etc.). It used graph theory for quantitative estimation of effectiveness of UAVs group flight. It presented all types of UAVs connections in the group (a star, ring, tree, with a common tire, mixed, cellular, etc.). The algorithm for finding central drone repeater (CDR) in a group of the UAVs for sending a control signal to other UAVs in the group was obtained. Examples of for determining the central drone and of the optimal topology in a group of the UAVs in flight are presented.

The Future for Civilian UAV Operations

The future looks bright for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Their ability to carry sophisticated imaging equipment attached to lightweight vehicles, to hover in position despite incremental weather conditions, to fly simple missions, and takeoff and land automatically, combined with their comparatively (compared to manned aircraft) lower investment and operational costs has driven a paradigm shift in the history of air transport. This chapter is organized around six themes that underscore the current discourse regarding the future of UAVs in civilian commercial operations, as well as highlighting the discussions of the previous chapters regarding policy and certification, technology, training, social and economic forces, air cargo, and the effect of UAVs on other sectors of the air transport industry.