The government plans to spread online medical treatment, and in 2018, guidelines were also announced.Currently, this movement is accelerating following the trend of the new colonavirus.In the future, drones are also considered to be delivered by drones, and demonstration experiments are being conducted in various places, but is it really possible to deliver pharmaceuticals to the patient's house by drone?
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Special measures due to the trend of the new colonavirus
In April 2020, the Cabinet was decided to review the system so that patients wishing for online medical treatment could use online medical treatment as an emergency response during the new colonavirus epidemic period.
In response to this, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, as a "time -time and special handling", is to ensure that the dispensed drugs are to be delivered to patients by mail registered mail, etc., and that they need to be particularly careful about quality maintenance, such as temperature control.We have notified public health centers so that pharmacy staff will deliver them and their families will come to pick them up.
Drone's drug delivery guidelines
The government is also considering delivery of drugs by drone.According to the guidelines published by the Cabinet Secretariat and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in June 2021, pharmacies and medical institutions are delivered after taking care of what kind of medicine the patients are using and delivering them, and the drone.If the crash or failure, the drug must be immediately searched and collected.
Since it is necessary to deliver the medicine quickly, it is also necessary to consider alternative measures in the event of crashing or failure in advance and prepare to be able to respond.
In addition, even if a third party finds a crashed or offended drone, you have to take measures, such as locking so that you can not open your luggage.
Looking at the guidelines, it seems that drone delivery takes a lot of time for pharmacies and hospitals.It is easier to pass at the window, and there is no need to use energy to fly a drone, so it may save energy.
Is it difficult to deliver door to -door?
The guidelines announced by the Cabinet Secretariat and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism indicate the drone's flight level in four stages.
"Level 1" is visually piloting, "level 2" is visually automatic and autonomous flight, and "level 3" is an unmanned area.Visual flights are that if a part of the flight route is invisible from the drone pilot, the assistant monitors the drone and flies according to its advice."Level 4" is a manned zone, and the government aims to realize "Level 4" by 2022 by flying out -of -visit flights.
This guidelines prohibit flying in cloud speeds or more, when it is about to rain or rain, or in clouds and fog, which cannot secure enough visibility.The wind speed of 5m / second is more than a wooden leaf and branches shaking.In other words, it can only be delivered by drone when the wind is sunny and the wind is very weak.
The current aviation law does not allow level 4 flights, so it is necessary to fly in unmanned areas, or in a manned zone, it is necessary to ban under the flight route.
Take -off and landing must be a place with a small drop in falling risk, such as a ground or vacant lot.It doesn't seem to be the delivery of door -to -doors from pharmacies and hospitals to patients' homes.
In addition, in order to avoid the risk of crashing, you must avoid the sky over a private house, roads and railways, check for the existence of a transmission line that is not listed on the map, and select the forest, river, and sea as a flight route. not.
If a drone crashes, a forest fire may occur due to a battery or the like.In that case, it is also required to contact the police, firefighting, and forest management.
In case the drone body or luggage falls and damages people and buildings, you are also required to take out liability insurance.If a victim dies or a serious accident such as remaining aftereffects, compensation may be expensive.
Birds of prey attacking drones
This guideline mentions that in areas where rare wildlife is inhabited, the drone may be too stressful due to the approaching and generated sounds, and that drones may be injured.
For this reason, we are seeking consideration not only in national and national parks, but also so that the ecology of wildlife does not adversely affect the ecology of wildlife.In areas where rare wildlife lives, it may be necessary to perform environmental assessments and check the habitat before choosing a drone flight route.
For example, around the wind power plant, in order to reduce the bird attack in which wild birds collide with a windmill blade (feathers), a rare wild bird habitat is investigated before installing, and in some cases, the installation location is changed.Is being done.
On the other hand, there is a risk that birds of prey will attack drones and crash.In fact, drones are often attacked by birds of prey in the South -South America, Europe and Australia.Wing width 2 in Australia.5 meters, weight 6.A 4kg drone was also attacked.
Birds at the top of the food chain have no natural enemies, so it is thought that they will come without fear.Using this property, French Air Force and others use an eagle for drone capture as a countermeasure against terrorism.
It is assumed that many patients who use online medical treatments live in areas where it is difficult to travel to hospitals, such as mountainous areas and remote islands, but in these areas, the effects of birds of prey.In order to ensure that drugs are delivered, it is necessary to consider whether the delivery of a drone is the best method.