A drone-based networked system and methods for combating coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic

Area of Science:

• * Robotics and Artificial Intelligence
• * Public Health and Epidemiology
• * Information Technology and Network Systems

Background:

• * The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by a novel coronavirus, has led to a global health crisis with significant mortality and spread.
• * Traditional healthcare systems face challenges in managing widespread infectious diseases, particularly in areas with limited connectivity or high transmission risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To investigate the application of drone-based systems (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles - UAVs) in addressing COVID-19 pandemic challenges.
• * To propose and evaluate a novel architecture for pandemic management utilizing UAVs and wearable sensors.

Main Methods:

• * Development of a drone-based system architecture incorporating wearable sensors and Body Area Networks (BANs) with a push-pull data fetching mechanism.
• * Real-time implementation and simulation-based scenarios to assess the system's effectiveness in various pandemic situations.
• * Evaluation of coverage area, data collection capabilities, and collision-resistant strategies for indoor and outdoor operations.

Main Results:

• * Real-time drone operations demonstrated efficient large-area coverage (2 KMs in approximately 10 minutes) for sanitization, thermal imaging, and patient identification.
• * Simulation results corroborated real-time findings, with successful implementation of collision-resistant strategies for healthcare operations.
• * The proposed architecture proved effective in remote and congested areas with connectivity issues, enabling substantial data collection for timely interventions.

Conclusions:

• * Drone-based systems offer a viable and efficient solution for augmenting healthcare responses during pandemics like COVID-19.
• * The proposed architecture effectively addresses challenges in data collection and dissemination in resource-limited or high-risk environments.
• * Further research into open challenges and promising directions can optimize the use of UAVs in future public health emergencies.