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Will drones be the next tech to transform healthcare?

  • min read
    • It was the longest five seconds of Dr. Shaf Keshavjee's life. On a late afternoon in 2021, he waited on the rooftop of Canada's Toronto General Hospital, watching a drone crest the horizon and hover above its landing pad. "It seemed to hover forever," says the director of the Toronto Lung Transplant Program. "In medicine, you do many stressful things with unknown outcomes. You're trained to handle it, because you have complete control of the situation," he tells me. "But this was different. I had to trust technology out of my control." The lungs, filled with oxygen and set at the correct temperature, traveled hundreds of feet in the air for nearly a mile over busy downtown Toronto. It took six minutes. This breakthrough flight was another rung on the ladder of a new application for drones in healthcare: Delivering organs quickly and efficiently for life-saving surgery. But at each rung, there are challenges – like responsible management of the crowded airspace of a new kind of highway. Flying medical supplies to kidneys and corneas Drones, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) were once regarded mainly as a hobby. But they're now poised to reach a market value of 40 billion US dollars by 2027. Some hope autonomous aircraft like MightyFly will soon deliver goods to shoppers. Hunter Kosar, owner of US shipping company Twisted Nail Broker Services, noted a niche hybrid-electric, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) autonomous aircraft could focus on transporting time-sensitive supplies like organs. "Organs are light, expensive and needed fast. Healthcare would pay a lot to receive a heart for transplant in 90 minutes instead of 4 hours." In 2019, Zipline crafted a fleet of drones to carry medical supplies to Ghana's remote areas. In 2021, UPS Flight Forward achieved a US first by drone-delivering COVID-19 vaccines in North Carolina. To healthcare specialists, drones are an obvious next step for delivering organs beyond the usual helicopter or plane. In 2020 drone start-up MissionGO Unmanned Systems' medical cargo branch partnered with Nevada Donor Network to successfully deliver kidneys and corneas. The 10-mile (16 km) kidney delivery was the longest organ delivery flight in drone history. The organs were intentionally unusable as the flight's purpose was research. Lab technicians took a graft of the delivered kidney and found no negative effects from the flight. "The organs didn't degrade," says MissionGO CEO Scott Plank. Plank is encouraged by healthcare working with airspace "to solve a major problem, produce a lower carbon footprint and foster a more efficient supply chain." MissionGO is one of the few drone firms with US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification to deliver human organs for transplant. It all began at University of Maryland in 2019 when a university team used a drone to deliver kidneys to a patient 2.8 miles (4.5km) away within 10 minutes. University of Maryland Medical Center's Dr. Joseph Scalea recognized he was onto something monumental and, within months, co-founded MissionGO. While organ delivery by drone is in its infancy, a concern nags enthusiasts like Dr. Keshavjee. "There must be a focus on safety and compliance. What will happen when drones take to the skies and start running into each other?" Managing a new kind of highway "Call us the Google Maps for drones, but the roads don't exist yet," says Michael Healander. His Detroit-based start-up Airspace Link may be about to become the US air traffic control system for drones. Already FAA-approved to oversee low altitude flights, Airspace Link helps drone pilots know where they can fly, any temporary flight restrictions ahead and nearest airport locations. They also communicate with 2,700 US airports, alerting them to any drones coming into their airspace. They use more than 50 datasets, from building footprints and heights to helipad locations to hyperlocal weather. Healander says drones are the future of delivering organs safely and efficiently. He also foresees other medical uses for drone delivery. "Delivering prescriptions to people with mobility challenges or in rural areas," he suggests. "Blood samples have to go to a lab, so instead of a patient waiting days, the drone could deliver the samples and the patient receive results in hours." Next time you happen to catch sight of a drone careening across the sky, it might be more than a tech lover having fun with a new toy. You may be witnessing a seismic shift in how we deliver critical medical treatment to those most in need.
Drones and emergency response

How drones with neural networks could transform disaster response

  • min read
    • Climate change and COVID-19 have made conversations on how we respond to emergencies mainstream. We've become more aware of the essential workers who risk their lives to save lives or even just keep things ticking over. We've seen multiple applications of new technology fast tracked in the quest to address never-before-seen challenges. In disaster relief, it's great to see ever-widening applications for drones (also known as unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs,) with their ability to give a fast and relatively inexpensive overview. For example, during 2020's locust invasion, Kenyan Red Cross used drones to assess impact on agriculture and livestock and the effectiveness of control efforts. In Oregon, California and other fire-ravaged US states, firefighters used drones to map fires and even to drop incendiary fireballs that help stop forest fires. These start small fires, removing fuel an approaching fire needs to spread. Artificial brain takes to the sky At Kaspersky, we've been working on a particular contribution to making it easier for authorities to respond to disasters and emergencies with drones and artificial intelligence (AI.) We're piloting an emergency analytics system that uses a neural network. These are mathematical models or algorithms made up of interconnected nodes (neurons) working a little like a human brain. Drones gathering data and identifying objects Of this technology's many possible applications, the most important are in situations where human life is at risk. Drones collecting data for real-time analysis by neural networks can search for missing people, animals and houses washed away in floods. It can assess damage from aerial images after an incident or provide crowd management information, helping to avoid human crush incidents. We're working with drone manufacturers Albatros and have already installed the Kaspersky Neural Network in two of their drone models. In developing the system, we focused on its capacity to detect small objects in limited visibility. For example, emergency services need to find buildings that survived after an earthquake and distinguish residential from non-residential buildings. In a flood, they need to know the amount of debris in a flooded area. Machine learning technology like a neural network can process images and recognize objects instantly. In one of our tests, the Kaspersky Neural Network processed thousands of high-resolution images of rough terrain on a laptop with limited computing power in a few minutes. Our neural networks self-teaches – each time you use it, results improve. Trained on tens of thousands of images, it can recognize and classify people, houses, cars and more. You can process data onboard a drone or on a server or laptop after the flight. Nikita Kalmykov, CEO of drone makers Albatros says, "The system is initially focused on incident analytics and people search. It can also help in the agricultural, construction and oil industries. It has the flexibility customers need for intelligent aerial surveys." Concerns around drones in emergency relief Using drones that process and categorize information using a neural network comes with challenges. Drone technology researcher Faine Greenwood points out public distrust of drones has slowed their adoption in disaster relief. To help smooth over this turbulence, Humanitarian UAV Network educates people and develops standards for humanitarian drone use. When training a neural network, as with all AI, it's important to consider potential bias in data sets and work to reduce it. For example, can the system identify people of all skin colors, genders and body sizes? Can it identify buildings or plants seen in a wide range of countries? Gathering data ethically and storing it securely is another area of concern. In their best practice guidance, Humanitarian UAV Network advises, "Only collect aerial data that has a clear value for specific humanitarian purposes. Other data could be used in discriminatory or other negative ways, or exploited by third parties to harm local communities." The International Red Cross also issues a handbook for data protection in humanitarian action. One thing is clear: In a world of growing challenges in preserving human life, every new tool is worth having. While AI rapidly transforms every part of our lives, drones using neural networks have an important role in disaster relief. It's no surprise humanitarian organizations and emergency services increasingly use drones in their work. Processing information with neural networks can add another level of efficiency and effectiveness to their important work. I hope we'll see this technology widely adopted, and with it, many lives saved.
drone attacks

On the fly: How businesses can protect against drone attack

  • min read
    • While widely rated 'zero stars' by humans, 2020 was a great year for drones. US market research firm Research and Markets estimate the drone market is worth 22.5 billion US dollars and predicts it will double in the next five years. Much-awaited regulation in countries like China, India and the US in recent years has added clarity on how businesses can use drones. The threat of COVID-19 saw public health organizations burst onto the scene, using drones to deliver medical supplies, spray disinfectant and conduct remote temperature-checking. A Swiss robotics firms has even been training drones to make high storey street art. What are the risks companies face, and what can they do about them? New developments in drone technology Drones have been growing in sophistication in recent years, changing the picture of drone-based threats. So what's been happening out there? Drones can now use 'computer vision:' Machine learning that lets them scan and recognize an object and follow or identify other places where it occurs. There are now drone add-ons that can transmit real-time high-definition images and video. Drones can also do more thanks to fast and reliable 5G spreading around the globe, increasing how long and far a drone can travel without returning to base and allowing for automatically adapting journeys in response to real-time information. Which businesses and activities are most at risk from drones? There are four main ways drones can threaten businesses and other organizations. There's collision: Where drones collide with objects or other aircraft, causing damage and endangering lives. Criminals can use drones that carry weapons to attack people or property directly. Espionage includes illegally collecting private information, for example, by using the drone's sensors, photography or video. Finally, there's smuggling: criminally transporting goods. The most well-known drone security incidents involved potential or actual collisions. Drone sightings near runways led to the disruption of around 1,000 flights at Gatwick Airport in London in 2018. Although the airport's swift action in this instance prevented damage, there have been numerous collisions and near misses between drones and aircraft in the past. Frankfurt Airport shut down several times in 2020 after drone sightings. Press photographers have used drones to breach personal privacy. The Los Angeles County Superior Court ruled against a press agency that used a drone to photograph the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's baby within the confines of their home. Law enforcers know criminals are using drones to move contraband. Drug smugglers are 'getting high' – in 2020, Singaporean police intercepted a drone being used to traffic class A controlled drugs between Singapore and Malaysia, leading to several arrests. Non-profit policy researchers RAND Corporation identifies one more kind of drone attack: When cybercriminals compromise and disable or take over organizations' drones. In 2020 they looked at the cyber threat drones pose to US industry and homeland security. They noted many potential threats from drone compromise, including creating "visual blind spots in detection of smuggling or other nefarious activities at borders and ports," reduced "capability to identify, reach or supply individuals in peril or medical distress in disaster zones" and the threat of "cyber-physical attack to damage the critical infrastructure." They urged the Department of Homeland Security to "prioritize the most critical vulnerabilities and find ways to close attack vectors and protect attack surfaces." How to protect your business from attack by drone While drones are famously agile and can go where humans cannot, they're far from unstoppable. 'Ethical hacker' teams have found several effective ways to disable nefarious drones, like confusing them with ultrasound or jamming them with radio waves. Market research firm Forrester recommends businesses consider using these in its 2020 report Navigate the digital ecosystem of commercial drones: "Put security and governance on your drone adoption agenda. Drones introduce new risks, such as hacking, business disruptions and privacy violations. Chief Information Officers (CIOs) must work with security pros to identify potential security issues and track regulatory changes closely." It recommends considering antidrone solutions to reduce the threat of unauthorized drones. How do antidrone systems work? Antidrone systems combine hardware and software, detecting drones in flight by scanning with radar, lidar and radio. After analyzing the drone using audio, video and thermal information, they jam it by interrupting its controlling signal. Detection and analysis happens in seconds. Antidrone systems can be customized for any scale of territory. The shape and size of the area the business needs to control decides determines what technology to use, for example, panoramic cameras work for small-scale sites (up to 300 meters or 980 feet) and in areas where building heights vary. Radar-based detection is best for large sites outside built-up areas. Antidrone system suppliers give examples of how they've set up systems for the needs of an airport, industrial estate and public events. If your organization uses drones, take these six security actions to prevent drone compromise. These include regularly updating the drone's firmware and making sure your base station app has a strong password. We should expect to see criminals using ever-more-sophisticated drones to cause chaos and compromise in the coming years. The good news is, businesses and public bodies can do things to protect their property, people and assets. Drones are changing the way we do business. Properly secured, in future we'll see even more exciting drone innovation take to the sky.

Riding on the wings of change: Could drones be good for business?

  • min read
    • Let's not beat around the bush: drones haven't had the best press recently. From bringing down international airports to generally annoying park goers with their high-pitched sounds – it's not been their year so far. But are they a risk to our safety? In the right hands, I believe that drones are a force for good. They're changing the world for the better and they can help your business get ahead of the curve. Now, I'm not saying they don't come with their own set of… challenges. And London's Gatwick Airport control room team are going to think I'm bonkers. But they're genuinely helping to do some incredible things across the world. From emergency vaccine distribution to anti-poacher systems and even your pizza delivery, drones are making the world a safer place (who knows what would happen if you left the house to pick up the pizza). They don't just reduce human error from any equation, they minimize the time we need to spend doing menial tasks, so we can focus on more important work. Let's have a look at a few examples: Emergency vaccine deliveries In April 2019, Zipline launched a fleet of drones designed to carry medical supplies to Ghana's most remote areas. The drones have been flying test runs with blood and vaccines from one of four planned distribution centers. When fully operational, these drones will serve 500 clinics. A new view on agriculture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkNdrTZ7CG4   By using drones to survey beautiful, luscious crops from above, there are many things we can ascertain about the land. Accurate information allows for optimal crop irrigation, fertilization and pest control. Reducing water and pesticide usage and maximizing crop yields benefits the bottom line and the environment. Right on. But it doesn't stop there. Planting crops can be a time-consuming and tedious process. Enter DroneSeed. This tiny flying machine tackles the issue at 350 feet per second, freeing up farmworkers to make better use of their time. They're also using the drones to plant trees and fight climate change. Next-generation retail deliveries https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HJtmx5f1Fc   Not as poignant as the other two, granted. But c'mon. You can't say that if you ordered a brand spanking new air fan on a sweltering-hot morning, and it was delivered to you 13 minutes later, you wouldn't be delighted. Amazon's recent Prime Air service aims to package up and deliver packages up to five pounds (in weight, not price) in 30 minutes or less. Could drones help make the working world safer? There's no two ways about it: drones are on the up. But, as they become more popular, we may see a case for them replacing the most dangerous or tedious jobs across many different industries. From data collection to delivery, drones have the ability to perform tasks that will free us up to focus on more important jobs and save us from potentially dangerous tasks. They're increasingly versatile. Some of the current uses include medical deliveries, traffic accident response, construction, and fire and rescue. In these cases, drone support could minimize workers' risk. For example, around 50 roofers are killed each year in the UK performing roof inspections in the construction industry (which is heavily safety regulated in this country). Replace that number with zero, and we've already made life-saving progress. How can you prepare your business for the future of drones? Now's the time to think about how drones can help your business reach new heights. Drone technology is already here; we have a choice to shape it for the better. The first step is overcoming some early challenges, of which there are a few. From creating air traffic management systems to addressing public noise and safety concerns – the right regulatory environment is key. Drone adoption is an incremental process, especially in large enterprises. The key to that process? Drone service providers (DSPs). DSPs make sure drones match customer needs. So whether you're in retail, logistics or another industry, when it comes to collecting data on drones and integrating them into your workflows, DSPs are critical. Are there safety implications? Yes: cybersecurity. If you're thinking about using a drone for your business, think about the data security implications. It doesn't get a great deal of press, but drones are just as easy to hijack as your company's servers. Watch this video about how easy it is to hack a drone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRr19hdsjoY Right now, many drone applications aren't capable of strong enough encryption to shield them from hackers. But, as sure as the rain falls, with proliferation comes preparation. It's time to make your business safer to clear the runway for the arrival of drone technology. This article represents the personal opinion of the author.
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Secure Futures magazine is your go-to business guide for opinions, trends and insight into the world of technology and cybersecurity. We help your business to bring on the future. Brought to you by Kaspersky, the global cybersecurity experts.

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