logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2022
17m 29s

How drones are helping to save lives

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Drones, which were originally developed by the military, are now being used all over the world for humanitarian purposes. Shamim Nabuuma Kaliisa, the founder of CHIL-AI, tells Jo Critcher how she was inspired by her own experience of cancer to use drones to give more women in Uganda access to screening.

In Sweden, the CEO of Everdrone, Mats Sällström, describes how drones are being used to quickly transport life-saving equipment to emergency situations.

There are more challenges to using drones in smaller, more densely populated countries like the UK but Elliot Parnham, the CEO of the drone operator Skyfarer, says he believes they can be overcome. His company is starting a pilot scheme to help the NHS transport critical medical supplies.

Presenter/Producer: Jo Critcher

(Photo: PWOne drone; Credit: Skyfarer Ltd.)

Up next
Yesterday
Is Gen Z the most investment-savvy generation?
Generation Z - people born in the mid-to-late 1990s up to the early 2010s - is reportedly the new driving force behind retail investing. We look at the areas they are investing in, and why financial influencers are not always what they seem. To get in touch with the programme, se ... Show More
17m 28s
Aug 24
Spain's power blackout: what went wrong?
On the morning of the 28th of April, Spain lost electric power equivalent to that generated by ten nuclear plants, leaving the whole of the Iberian Peninsula, including Portugal and parts of France, without electricity for up to 12 hours. We examine the cause of the blackout that ... Show More
17m 28s
Aug 21
Business Daily meets: Spencer Horne
The South African entrepreneur tells us about his experience growing up under the apartheid regime, before securing a scholarship that would take him to Harvard University in the US.He's now returned home to set up Cloudline, an airship company which aims to deliver goods and car ... Show More
17m 29s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2022
Consumer drones in conflict: where do they fit into IHL?
The skies over the conflict in Ukraine are filled with identical-looking consumer drones piloted by combatants and civilians alike – aircraft that promise to be a regular feature of war in the future. Few methods exist for telling small drones apart in airspace: combatants, unabl ... Show More
19m 49s
Jun 2021
How can drones help Togolese farmers?
Drop your hand hoes, the drones are here! Some Togolese farmers have begun using specialist drones to help them with simple tasks, like spraying chemicals on their crops. But with a hefty price tag, are drones really the answer to their problems? How much of a difference will the ... Show More
11m 36s
Aug 2023
Drones, Prison Drops + Marshmallow Fluff
Walmart, UPS, and even Dominos are all planning on using ariel drone delivery and according to a Bloomberg investigation, Amazon alone has made a $2 billion investment. But is it realistic to envision a future where our valuable and often fragile packages and meals will be delive ... Show More
36m 14s
May 2023
Ukraine : à quoi servent les drones dans une guerre ?
Dans la nuit du 3 au 4 mai 2023, l’Ukraine indique avoir abattu 18 drones sur 24 envoyés par la Russie. La veille, le gouvernement russe avait détruit 2 drones qu’ils attribuent à l’armée ukrainienne. Devenu une arme incontournable, le drone n’est pas prêt de stopper son ascensio ... Show More
4m 15s
May 2023
Babbage: How drones are transforming warfare in Ukraine
The use of drones in the war in Ukraine has been increasing. Unmanned vehicles capture battlefield images, relay co-ordinates, and strike targets in Ukraine and even Russia. Whether purpose-built military devices or off-the-shelf civilian technology, the drones are having an outs ... Show More
41m 48s