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#Drones of #Zipline, really impressive, not only #technology wise, but also what they already achieved with their drones to deliver blood transfusions and medical goods to remote parts in #Rwanda

Amazing Invention- This Drone Will Change Everything

These folks engineering a much better way to deliver your basically anything. If you want to engineer your own creations with me every month, just head to ht...
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#technology #drones #Rwanda #Zipline
Hypolite Petovan
Hypolite Petovan  
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This entry was edited (1 year ago)
utzer [Friendica]
utzer [Friendica]  
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@Hypolite Petovan I heard about that operation before, some years ago, I am not sure if this is really a bad company, maybe have a look on Wikipedia or read the studies linked there. I am happy to hear back, but won't have the time to do the reading any time soon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zipline_(drone_delivery_company)#Rwanda
@Hypolite Petovan
Hypolite Petovan
Hypolite Petovan  
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@utzer [Friendica] I’m not sure it is a bad company either, in the sense that they would be breaking any law. But it still is a venture-capital funded US company operating in a developing country, so the profit extraction is a little more egregious than in other cases where profits are benefitting the local economy, which isn’t the case here.
utzer [Friendica]
utzer [Friendica]  
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@Hypolite Petovan yes, but profits always to to the headquarters, unless it is local or maybe non profit.
If you don't have the knowhow you can not run such operation yourself. At least they have local employees, that is not a given for various reasons, even in my field of business.
@Hypolite Petovan
Hypolite Petovan
Hypolite Petovan  
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@utzer [Friendica] Of course but like I said, I’m not sure this tech is necessary. A regular ground bulk delivery would do the job as well, provided hospitals have storage capacity. Neither these conditions are technologically hard to satisfy.
utzer [Friendica]
utzer [Friendica]  
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@Hypolite Petovan it is necessary and studies found that stock run out was significantly reduced. Also blood transfusions can not be stored in bulk in this small hospitals I assume. I think it mentions that less transfusions go to waste. And don't forget 1h driving takes you 30 miles far, been there done that. 8h for 300km in Kongo was pretty fast.
@Hypolite Petovan
Hypolite Petovan
Hypolite Petovan  
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@utzer [Friendica] Yes but this state isn’t inescapable, European countries used to have this kind of travel speed until large national infrastructure projects were launched to build toads, bridges and tunnels.

I wonder what the US$ 2.75 billion of the Zipline market capitalization would do had they been invested in Rwandan transportation infrastructure?

Of course the goal of this money isn’t to improve the country’s infrastructure, it is to make profits, so the solution is to deploy proprietary infrastructure that locks hospitals into a forever dependency to a US company because profits aren’t reinvested locally.
utzer [Friendica]
utzer [Friendica]  
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@Hypolite Petovan Rwanda is on a good path, special case I think, but you don't want that investment in infrastructure in African countries, because usually it comes from China and the are running a plot that is real colonization. They actually build streets for free if you buy a harbor from them or sell mining right to them, seen that as well in Kongo again. But also saw it in Sudan.
@Hypolite Petovan
Hypolite Petovan
Hypolite Petovan  
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@utzer [Friendica] I’m aware of the Chinese schemes, they just happen to be more directed because they come from a government’s foreign policy, rather than from US VC money that just exploits opportunities indiscriminately.
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