Singapore Wants to Use Drones to Deliver Meds, Respond to Security Incidents

Nike Omedo July 26, 2018

A new program is in development to use drones for security responses and medicine delivery in Singapore. The revelation came from the Future Flight Consortium which said the Singapore civil aviation authority and transport ministry chose them to develop the drone program.

With a population of almost six million people, Singapore is an impressively modern city-state and home to the world’s fourth biggest financial center. Singapore has a GDP of $55,182 per capita, representing the 8th highest in the world. Singapore’s technological achievements and advanced architecture have made the country a popular tourist destination. The country’s focus on advanced technology makes the likelihood of the drone program’s success more favorable.

According to Phys.org, Future Flight said the drones could be used to transport blood samples, deliver emergency medical supplies and respond to security incidents across the city-state.

While operated remotely from a central command point, the drone will be able to travel longer distances than recreational drones with relative ease. Unlike recreational drones, it won’t be limited to staying within the operator’s line of sight.

Future Flight is planning to create dedicated flight paths and a private communications network which can be used to communicate with the drones once they are in use. Take-off and landing sites for the unmanned aerial vehicles will also be developed.

“Our goal is to make it possible for any enterprise who needs to fly drones (beyond the visual sight of the pilots) in Singapore to easily do so in a safe and effective manner,” said Future Flight project director Ong Jiin Joo.

Senior officers of the Singapore Civil Defense Force (SCDF) revealed they are currently discussing with Garuda Robotics the feasibility of using drones in the SCDF, particularly to deliver critical life-saving supplies.

One hospital operator and member of the consortium said it would use the drones to transport blood and specimens between laboratories and hospitals. A security firm in the consortium said it would use the drones to respond to security incidents and fire alarms.

Future Flight has pledged to adopt rigorous safety testing and is aiming to complete the drone program in two years.