Delivering medical supplies to hard-to-reach places has been an issue for years. Worldwide, more than two billion people lack access to essential life-saving supplies, such as blood and vaccines (疫苗). In the African nation of Rwanda, for example, several remote health clinics do not have sufficient quantities of blood and other healthcare products. A company called Zipline is trying to address this problem. It uses drones (无人机) to transport medical supplies around Rwanda. A drone can now deliver medicine in 30 minutes.
Drones are also assisting emergency organizations after natural disasters. In 2015, for example, a powerful hurricane destroyed thousands of buildings in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. Around 75,000 people lost their homes, and at least 15 died. After the storm, drones photographed the damage. These surveys helped emergency workers assess the situation quickly and answer important questions: Which areas were hardest hit? Were crops damaged? What roads were affected?
Drones are also helping to protect wildlife populations in parts of Africa and Asia. Every year, poachers (偷猎者) kill thousands of elephants, rhinos, and other endangered animals. To stop them, the environmental organization World Wildlife Fund is using drones to find where poachers are hiding and if they are carrying weapons. Equipped with infrared video cameras, drones can easily identify people and animals at night. These drones are not only helpful, but they are affordable.
As well as finding poachers, drones can be used to track animals. Scientists at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) plan to employ drones for an ambitious conservation project: documenting the world's wildlife. The long-term project will start with scientific surveys of animal populations. And animal species can then be identified using special software.
Ironically (讽刺地), a tool originally created for military use is increasingly being used to save lives instead of taking them. Drones have the potential to provide solutions that will benefit both humans and animals.
