The municipality of Penela, in the district of Coimbra, tested today a pilot project for customized delivery of meals by drone the elderly people in isolated villages, in the context of home care provided by mercy location.
In four minutes, a drone transported from the town of Penela in the pot with the meal of a man of 79 years old, who resides alone in the small village of Podentinhos, situated about three kilometres, with part of the dirt path.
“it Is a pilot experience, in which the municipality has made with the Santa Casa da Misericórdia to collaborate with the company that developed the technology”, explained the president of the municipality, Luis Matias, who highlighted the fact that the drone have a range of uses that is not limited to the transportation of foodstuffs.
According to the mayor, the initiative today aimed only to test the technology and that there is “a path that has to be done, that has to do with the home support service, but which can serve for many other situations, since the distribution of medicines, prevention and surveillance of forestry and spatial planning of the territory”.
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Luis Matias believes that it is important “to realize that the technology can assist the services provided in the territory, especially territories with low population density, which often is not stimulated in this kind of dynamic”.
To the provider of the Mercy of Penela, Fernando Antunes, “the technology to approve, and the costs are competitive,” it is possible that, in the future, the delivery of meals, one of the points of service home, to be resolved in this way.
“The human contact with the people, which is essential, is not in question, because the service and domiciliary care covers personal hygiene, cleaning, housing, animation, washing of clothes and the dialogue with the family,” he said.
Noting that the institution is open to innovation, Fernando Antunes noted, however, that “the drones are not going to be there to serve meals tomorrow” and “there is a great walk to do.”
“We’re starting a path and there is a lot to walk, but this innovation will never replace the human contact, the relationship humanized with the people, which is key,” said the provider.
Joaquim Reis, 79 years, never expected to receive the meal through a “machine”, but considers the idea good, although understand that “it is a lot of expense to bring food to one man only”.
According to Eduardo Mendes, of the company Connect in Robotics, this type of service is “extremely viable” and currently, “more valuable in situations of difficult to access areas, crossing rivers, between islands and mountains”.
“This project started with several other ideas. For example, a serious problem is fire, and the drone can be used to be monitor forests and detect fires early on,” said the businessman.
In the case of meal delivery, the company has tested a specific equipment for carrying heavy loads and travel long distances.
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