Download This PaperMedical Drones in the United States and a Survey of Technical and Policy Challenges
6 Pages Posted: 31 Mar 2020
Date Written: February 2020
Abstract
Drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), will likely play an important role in the future of healthcare. Technologists envision a world in which drones transport blood, medical supplies, drugs and vaccines, defibrillators, and telemedicine kits.
The United States could benefit from this technology, transporting medical goods over vast rural areas, over urban traffic jams, and during weather conditions that make conventional transport hazardous or impossible. Across rural America there are areas short on physicians, hospitals, and other medical resources, and drones offer one tool for stretching resources.
While the number of possible drone applications is significant, making full use of this technology will require technological advances on the industry side and deft innovation on the regulatory side to mitigate the risks involved in adding large-scale drone traffic to America’s heavily used airspace.
Keywords: commercial drones, drones, unmanned vehicles, technology, innovation, regulation, coronavirus, coronavirus pandemic, COVID-19, public health
JEL Classification: O00, O31, I00, I18
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation