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The drone ambulance would

carry one paramedic and have room for

one patient. It would be flown by either remote GPS or

a pilot.

ONE PLUS ONE

Drones are famous for their ability to go almost anywhere. But would you trust one to get you to the hospital after an accident?

An American company called argodesign believes that drones can be the ambulances of the future. Of course, these vehicles would be much larger than the standard quadcopter drones we’re familiar with. But once you think about it, the idea of an ambulance drone makes a lot of sense. Why risk getting stuck in traffic when patients can be swooped up and flown straight to the nearest emergency room?

A drone

ambulance would be most useful for victims of car accidents in cities and on busy highways. Many people lose their lives because of the time spent waiting for an ambulance to arrive. The drone would get in and out much

faster.

MINUTES MATTER

DRONE-BULANCE!911

It would

be the size of a

compact car. This

would allow it to land

in confined spaces

too risky for even a

small helicopter.

CAR-SIZED

Each drone is

estimated to cost

around $1.3 million.

That’s not cheap compared

to an ambulance (around

$100,000), but it is much

less than a rescue

copter ($11 million).

CHEAPER THAN

A HELICOPTER

FlashForward

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; D

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OPT

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Will people be flying to the hospital in drones one day?