Posted September 30, 2015 17:01:53 An eminent British architect has proposed using cargo drones and a network of 'drone ports' to carry essential supplies to rural parts of Africa. Sir Norman Foster's firm Foster + Partners, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne and its company Afrotech put forward the idea of a pilot project slated to begin in Rwanda next year. "Specialist drones can carry blood and life-saving supplies over 100 kilometres at minimal cost, providing an affordable alternative that can complement road-based deliveries," their proposal said. "Cargo drone routes have utility wherever there is a lack of roads. Just as mobile phones dispensed with landlines, cargo drones can transcend geographical barriers such as mountains, lakes, and unnavigable rivers without the need for large-scale physical infrastructure." They plan to initially use Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with a three-metre wingspan and the capacity to carry deliveries weighing 10 kilograms. Much larger drones, with a six-metre wingspan and capacity of 100 kilograms, are planned to followed by 2025. Last year, Medecins Sans Frontieres teamed up with American company Matternet to trial small UAVs picking up tuberculosis samples from remote villages in Papua New Guinea. The most successful test saw drones travel up to 28 kilometres over mountains and rivers to their destination, with a battery change part way through the journey the only barrier. "We're speaking of four hours by car to the location. It was 55 minutes by UAV," MSF program manager Eric Pujo told Pacific Beat. The next step after Rwanda's pilot project will be three 'drone port' buildings due for completion by 2020, allowing UAVs to cover almost half of Rwanda's countryside. "Africa is a continent where the gap between the population and infrastructural growth is increasing exponentially," Sir Norman said at the project launch. "The dearth of terrestrial infrastructure has a direct impact on the ability to deliver life-giving supplies, indeed where something as basic as blood is not always available for timely treatment. "We require immediate bold, radical solutions to address this issue." The proposal also described so-called 'drone ports' — buildings for UAVs to land in which will also include a clinic, courier room and e-commerce hub. "[They] will also be manufacturing centres for drones, generating employment opportunities for the local population," the proposal said. Left in ruins after genocide in 1994, Rwanda has rapidly rebuilt, with the government pushing initiatives to boost technology and president Paul Kagame dreaming of turning the capital Kigali into a regional hub for investors and multinational companies. Government efforts have rapidly pushed mobile phone and internet coverage across the country, but the rolling landscape of a nation dubbed the "land of a thousand hills" means physical access to some areas is more of a challenge. While Rwanda's government has yet to comment on the Droneport proposals, people have welcomed the plan. "The introduction of drones can add to the many solutions we have available to tackle infrastructure challenges in Rwanda," Junior Sabena Mutabazi wrote in the pro-government New Times newspaper. ABC/Reuters Topics: relief-and-aid-organisations, international-aid-and-trade, emergency-planning, transport, science-and-technology, rwanda
Sir Norman Foster 's firm , Foster + Partners , has proposed using droneports to carry essential supplies to hard to reach areas in Rwanda , Africa . Supplies could include medical essentials such as blood and medicine , which could be delivered to rural areas over 100 km away as a ﻿low cost , alternative method to road based deliveries . according to the plan , drones with a three - metre wingspan that can carry up to 10kgs of essentials would be used initially , with the intention of increasing this to helicopters with a three - metre wingspan that could carry up to 100kgs by 2020 . The drone Government is yet to comment on the proposed proposal . ﻿﻿﻿﻿