Drone-based delivery of clinical specimens in a rural enviroment : a feasibility study
Date
2017
Authors
Berman, Joshua Shlomo
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Abstract
A framework is developed for the implementation of an autonomous drone-based delivery system. The concept stems from the need for more efficient methods of clinical transport in underdeveloped regions.
A case study of a region in Mpumalanga investigates the requirements of the delivery system and scale of the intended solution. The travelling salesman problem (TSP) is used to determine that a region with 19 request points can be serviced by a single drone with a 30 minute flight range and 2 - 4 kg payload capacity.
A notional region containing 20 clinics and one laboratory is used to simulate scenarios with dynamic request points using a reward-based inspection algorithm. Delivery routes are optimised based on global conditions.
An evaluation of the inspection algorithm resulted in the drones averaging 103.53 km in 139.21 minutes. A framework is thus developed which allows for a theoretical scenario analysis for future implementations.
The specimen turnaround time from clinic to laboratory is assessed using 120 scenarios of varying wind speed and request generation rates. In wind conditions similar to that observed in Mpumalanga (5 - 25 km/h), the drone averaged 93.94 minutes per request. At a request rate of two requests per hour the drone delivered an average of 180 samples generated in the first nine hours of simulation. At a request rate of one request every 6 hours the drone averaged 29 samples.
Future work could include an in depth study of seasonal request rates and weather pattern data in order to influence the path of the drone for a further optimised approach as well as the development of more advanced optimisation algorithms.
Description
A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering by Research
in the
Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment School of Electrical and Information Engineering , Private Bag 3, 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa
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Citation
Berman, Joshua Shlomo (2017) Drone-based delivery of clinical specimens in a rural environment:|ba feasibility study, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, <http://hdl.handle.net/10539/24614>