Your new post is loading...
The University of Cincinnati has invented a new telehealth drone to improve access to medical services regardless of location.
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati are creating a drone that can make telehealth house calls.
Three colleges at the University of Cincinnati collaborated to develop a semi-autonomous drone that can be dispatched right to people’s homes.
The drones are big enough to carry medicine or medical supplies but small enough to maneuver the tight confines of a home using navigational algorithms developed by UC engineers so patients can talk face to face to their doctors or pharmacists.
Still in development, the drone has cameras and a display screen so patients can talk to health care professionals from the comfort of their home. The prototype carries a waterproof box the size of a small first-aid kit to deliver medical supplies or collect self-administered lab tests.
“Most drones rely on controllers that work on radio communication and require line-of-sight for safe, remote operation. That’s why most drones have limited operational range,” said Manish Kumar, a professor of mechanical engineering. “If you want beyond line-of-sight control, you need some autonomous capabilities,”
His lab has been working on autonomous systems that combine artificial intelligence with a suite of sensors that allow drones to navigate a cluttered and complex three-dimensional environment, like the entrance to a person’s home and living room.
Further, Debi Sampsel, director of telehealth at UC's College of Nursing, quoted "When COVID-19 hit, telehealth emerged as a prime way to talk with healthcare professionals and receive certain types of therapies. Telehealth is here to stay"
“We can perform all kinds of functions: chronic disease management, post-operative care monitoring, health coaching and consultations,” she added. “And in the health care arena, there is no age limit. Telehealth services are useful from birth to death.”
Sampsel has been working on connected health concepts for several years at the university, and helped to develop a “smart house” to test the technology for seniors and those with disabilities.
Read more at the University of Cincinati's website https://www.uc.edu/news/articles/2021/03/virtual-medicine--new-uc-telehealth-drone-makes-house-calls.html#main
Via nrip
Thank you for sharing this informative article on the creation of drones for telehealth. This technology is very promising, especially in light of greater focus being placed on telehealth visits due to COVID-19. This article provides more information on telehealth and how the perception of telehealth has been influenced by the changing landscape of the pandemic: https://aviditymedicaldesignblog.com/2020/07/28/what-you-should-know-about-telehealth-in-the-era-of-covid-19/