MediDrone: First Aid Delivery Drone for Remote Areas

Abstract

In steep communities, forest settlements, and areas where ground access is delayed, especially in disaster-stricken areas, it is hard to provide first aid reliably. In this study, the design of the MediDrone is demonstrated. MediDrone is a GPS-guided quadcopter that is used to transfer a small first-aid package from a ground station controlled by an operator to a remote location. Four brushless motors and electronic speed controllers, a Pixhawk/APM class flight controller, GPS with compass, a LiPo supply and a telemetry and RC link, and a camera and a cargo lock actuated by servos are recommended. The sequence of operations include waypoint entry, pre-arm checks, autonomous flight, landing confirmation, controlled release of first aid and RTL. The mission logic is supplemented with battery-reserve and communication-link failsafes. Thrust margin, expected endurance, travel time and successful delivery rate are estimated theoretically, to enable field testing later. The views of the interface-level mission, telemetry and release are offered as a review of the software design. No physical flight measurements are claimed. The architecture offers a logical foundation for low-cost emergency logistics around areas lacking in road access.