The world has been forever changed since the onset of COVID-19. It still seems surreal to walk down empty streets or into a place of business with everyones face covered, and yet it is our new way of life. An existence weve never known before but are working to accept. Many wonder what the new normal will be and what changes to society are here to stay?
Plexiglass enclosures, six feet of distance, and sanitizing stations are changes that may be here for a while, yet even with these changes we still arent back to a normal state. In many parts of the world, events are being postponed for the rest of the year at minimum, and businesses are filled to only a fourth or half capacity. As we look to the future, we question what the permanent changes will be and for the others how long they will stay.
The future for re-opening to some sort of normalcy could include the use of deployable drones. Deployable drones have many capabilities including disinfecting public surfaces, temperature monitoring in large crowds, and equipment deliveries to name a few. In many parts of the world, drones are being used to monitor case hot spots, precautionary measures in groups of people, large gatherings, and long lines for testing.
While many question the efficacy of using drones here in the states, it is undeniable that they help to mitigate the risk for first responders while helping to monitor the actions of people during this time. Deployable drones managed with rugged tablets allow for real-time sharing of information and streamlines the information gathered by a drone into one easily managed place that can be accessed by anyone on the secure network of the tablet. Rugged tablets offer durability for field operations that withstand environments of dust and sand as well as environments with extreme temperatures. The durability of rugged tablets can withstand drops, water/spills, and even vibrations from a vehicle.
Deployable drones integrate with rugged tablets providing a multi-use functional platform to gather and share information at the tactical level. Anyone with access to the network can access the information being gathered onto the tablet in order to make decisions in real-time or process and hold onto the collected information for use at a later time. Using a rugged tablet helps streamline the information gathered visually or from drone sensors in order to take immediate action, transmit to backend systems, or share with other users/apps.
Deployable drones can take the temperature of a collective group or monitor the temperatures of individuals in a large gathering to determine if someone in the crowd is sick. Drones can also monitor the behaviors of people in a large crowd to determine how they act under emergency situations, thus providing intel to decision-makers on how quickly to re-open or launch into a new phase of opening. Deployable drones are also being used to sanitize and disinfect areas that may have been contaminated by the virus on a large scale. Drones can cover interior and exterior surfaces as well as multiple types of surfaces, thus reducing the risk to humans for becoming infected through cleaning.
During a time when resources are limited and the potential spread of the virus is high, the use of drones helps to deliver medical supplies into hard to reach or highly infected areas, reducing human contact and limiting the potential for even more spread of the virus.
Rugged tablets are portable solutions that are easy to take into the field, the office, or in a car and they easily integrate to use with drones for tracking and processing of information. The two of these devices together may be the worlds solution for re-opening in hopes to find a new normal.