Drones have gotten a pretty bad
reputation. The word conjures up images of war, surveillance and
"collateral damage," which means civilian deaths.
"I think it makes sense to use these advanced technologies in places where you can have the most impact first."
This week on World 3.0, we're introducing you to one company offering a kinder, gentler drone.
Matternet's mission is to
develop an unmanned aerial transportation system that can reach anyone,
anywhere, perhaps most importantly those living in underdeveloped parts
of the world. I sat down with founder Andreas Raptopoulos, an
entrepreneur who has big visions for the future of drones and their
potential to do good. Drones have the ultimate capability, in his words,
"to redefine how we transport things around us."
Andreas shared a startling statistic. Nearly 1 billion people on the planet live without access to all-season roads, meaning a significant portion of the population is unable to receive aid and emergency supplies when needed. In sub-Saharan Africa, 85 percent of the roads are impassable during the rainy season.
Matternet sees a future in which
drones could deliver medicine and humanitarian aid to these otherwise
unreachable areas. They could transport blood tests, collect
tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS diagnostics, and allow diagnoses to be made in
an efficient way. Andreas told me that while driving to isolated
villages could take a day or longer, a drone could travel the same
distances in less than 30 minutes.
In August and September 2012, Matternet carried out its first field
trials in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. This September, the company
will work with Doctors Without Borders in Tokyo to conduct a trial run
of its drones to transport TB samples from clinics in remote areas to
hospital labs. What would normally take several days to transport
samples, will now take just a few hours.
Andreas stressed the importance
of using these advance technologies in the places that need them the
most. While he suggests the future will bring "aerial vehicles flying
around us in a way that we won't even notice," he maintains the goal is
to empower others to use this technology in a positive way, an objective
he boils down simply: "If you succeed," he says, "you're going to be
saving somebody's life." VIDEO
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