(L-R) US Ambassador Sung Kim, Philippine Red Cross chairman Richard Gordon, Zipline CEO Keller Rinaudo, and U2 frontman Bono
U2 frontman Bono on Tuesday, December 10, led the launch of a national-scale drone blood delivery system in the Philippines. Under the service, blood and other medical products would soon be delivered to health facilities in the country by drone.
The artist was among those who spoke about the initiative on Tuesday, December 10, as a board member of Zipline which will provide the service in partnership with the Philippine Red Cross.
Expected to launch in the summer of 2020, the blood delivery service aims to create a network of autonomous drones to make on-demand emergency deliveries. The project will begin with blood deliveries but will expand to 150 other medical products, according to Zipline and PRC.
The drone delivery company is set to establish 3 distribution centers, which are eyed to make “hundreds of deliveries per day.”
“This Red Cross chapter is the bravest and has the hardest time of any chapter. We are particularly inspired by the way the team already uses technology. The Philippines is an amazing country with amazing challenges when it comes to disaster response,” said Zipline CEO Keller Rinaudo.
“Your access to healthcare should not depend on the GPS coordinates of where you live,” Rinaudo added.
Photo: Maria TAN / AFP
Source: Rappler