Drones might provide the solution to the next crisis

THE Covid-19 outbreak has demonstrated that we need to be prepared for extreme and unusual scenarios - "black swan" events. The adoption of new technologies (for instance, digital solutions) has and will further help societies to prepare for future crises of an asymmetrical nature. Such a key emerging technological solution is the adoption of drones (or formally, "unmanned aerial vehicles", UAVs).

For instance, how would we respond to a more contagious virus or a pathogen that survives on surfaces for much longer - a study suggested that Sars-COV-2 can survive up to three days on surfaces, assuming there is no disinfection - thus rendering human contact with food or products dangerous?

There could be other reasons, some of which we are already familiar with: for instance, a severe and/or prolonged period of haze could make going outdoors extremely unhealthy. A terror threat could force parts of a city to close down for some time. A fire could also make parts of a building or a city inaccessible. Extreme weather due to climate change should not be excluded and movement might again be problematic. All these could threaten typical logistical routes within a city that relies mainly on a road network, thus necessitating alternative methods of product delivery.