BHUBANESWAR: The Skilled in Odisha section at the Make-in-Odisha (MIO) conclave has a special attraction this time - a drone ambulance - that aims to save crucial paramedic response time and save lives of patients who are outside the ambit of healthcare in the state.
Developed by a city-based automation robotics company - Homeacts - which has been started by couple Sushree Sangita Mishra and Ansuman Acharya, both engineers, the drone is the first of its kind in Odisha. It can be used to deliver blood, medicine kits and transfer organs during emergency situations or inaccessible pockets of Odisha.
It can also be used for disaster assessment and search and rescue operations, said 33-year-old Sushree who is a computer science graduate with specialisation in artificial intelligence (AI). The couple had developed the drone a year back. It was incubated at the Utkal University’s Centre for Innovation and Incubation. Designed to carry a load of 3.5 kg, its operation range is limited within 15 km now. The project has been supported by the ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre (ICMR-RMRC). It flies at the speed of 60 km per hour.
Sushree said during Covid-19 pandemic, their company had partnered with RMRC to develop affordable Covid testing kits. “But we realised that the country faces the challenge of delivering vaccines and medicines in rural and restricted pockets. Hence, we decided to develop this drone,” she said.
The couple is exhibiting the drone at the MIO to find funding agencies for commercial production.
