A German technology non-profit has put together an autonomous octocopter that can carry a defibrillator, aiming to get to patients faster than an ambulance. Fredrich Nölle from Definetz presented the system in the town of Halle in North Rhine Westphalia. It's optimized for remote areas, and allows emergency services or the public to call a defibrillator in though a smartphone app that automatically sends GPS coordinates.
The drone has a range of 10km, and can fly at up to 70 kilometres per hour towards its destination in all weather conditions. It has a diameter of one metre and parachutes its payload when it arrives at the patient. It was developed by Height Tech, a company that employs drones for many tasks including movie production, surveying, aerial photography and signal mast inspection.
German emergency services praised the invention but warned people not to get their hopes up. "We'll have to see how much these drones can help," said Marco König from the German emergency services union.
SOURCE: Wired.Co.UK