“While plenty of countries have dabbled in drone delivery, no program has matched the scale and impact of what’s unfolding in Rwanda and now, Tanzania.” An anonymous reader quotes CNN:

The drones will fly themselves, far from the view of humans — a move that’s not yet legal in the U.S… In early 2018, Tanzania’s government will begin using drones to deliver medical supplies such as blood and vaccines to remote areas. The government expects to save lives thanks to faster delivery of medical supplies. Rwanda has already completed 1,400 similar deliveries. “Everyone has this paradigm that robotics and artificial intelligence starts in the U.S., made by rich people for rich people. It couldn’t be farther from the truth,” said Keller Rinaudo, CEO of Zipline, which is supplying the drones. “There’s a major shift [occurring] where it’s not about the country with the most resources; it’s more about the countries with modern regulatory reform and a willingness to try new things.”

Tanzania will open four drone distribution centers with Silicon Valley startup Zipline, providing more than 100 drones and 2,000 flights a day. It’s also discussing a partnership with another drone company… Previously, the government delivered medical supplies only four times a year due to costs. Bwanakunu envisions several deliveries per week including for emergencies… This isn’t the first time East Africa has been a step in front of the “developed world.” “We were ahead with mobile money too,” said Bwanakunu, referring to M-PESA, which allows for money to be sent through cell phones. “If today trying this technology will save a human life, why not?”

Each drone is equipped with “a parachute that deploys if that anything goes wrong.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot – East Africa Leads The World In Drone Delivery