A pandemic drone, that monitors temperature, heart and respiratory rates, is being developed to detect the coronavirus.
Fitted with specialised sensors and a computer vision system, the drone can also detect people sneezing or coughing in crowds or indoor places where people congregate, like offices, airports or cruise ships.
It’s the work of a team from the University of South Australia, led by Defence Chair of Sensor Systems Professor Javaan Chahl, who has partnered with Canadian drone technology company Draganfly.
Professor Chahl said the technology was originally envisaged for war zones, natural disasters and remotely monitoring heart rates of premature babies in incubators.
He said now they see a need for its use immediately, to help save lives in the biggest health catastrophe the world has experienced in the past 100 years.
