Officials use drones in the fight against COVID-19

The police in Telangana recently made use of drones from Marut Drones in various roles to help in the fight against COVID-19.

For Disinfection

The Marut drones were originally launched in 2018 for spraying insecticides on lakes for controlling mosquito population. The drones are now used for spraying disinfectants in public spaces like parks, warehouses, SEZs, etc. The customised drones can carry up to 10 litres of disinfectant and cover 20 km per day compared to the 4 to 5 km covered by a human.

For Screening

The drones are also being used to screen body temperature for detecting potential COVID-19 cases. They can be customised to pick out individuals with high body temperature in crowded places. This will reduce the need for the presence of health personnel on site to conduct such tests and hence reduce their risk of exposure. Some drones are also being fitted with loudspeakers to act as public announcement systems.

For Delivery

Some of the drones are being used to deliver medicines and other vital supplies to people. This has also reduced the need for direct physical contact and has helped with ensuring social distancing. Some trials with the Marut Drones have shown that drone-based deliveries are nearly 80 times faster than traditional deliveries.