Nepal, among other top six projects from different countries, reached the finals and won $5000 worth AUVSI XCELLENCE award in the humanitarian category.
A Nepal made Medical Drone, called DrOTS has won the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) XCELLENCE award in the Humanitarian Category at the AUVSI XPONENTIAL AWARDS 2020. Drone Optimized Therapy System (DrOTS) reached the finals along with competitive projects from the other six countries and eventually won the competition making a breakthrough in the ever-growing field of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
Reminiscing how the team grabbed this great opportunity, Uttam Pudasaini, Executive Director of Nepal Flying Labs said that DrOTS participated in the event after AUVSI called out for open registration for the competition to countries all over the world.
Mr. Pudasaini further stated,”Medical Drones are being tested everywhere now. The samples we delivered via DrOTS showed a positive effect on more than 25 patients. We have delivered more than 700 samples from drones in six months for Tuberculosis diagnosis.”
With successful testing and outstanding performance, DrOTS won the award along with $5000 prize money, but due to the pandemic, the award ceremony was shifted online and conducted virtually in Arlington from 6th-8th October 2020. It is organized annually by the Association for Unmanned Vehicles Systems International, and DrOTS was selected from a pool of participants as the ultimate winner for this award.
What is DrOTS and How does it work?
The DrOTS project aims to improve the accessibility of TB diagnostic tests by linking community health workers (CHWs) with state-of-the-art diagnostic tools (GeneXpert) via Drones. Under this system, the drone collects sputum samples from remote healthcare facilities and delivers them directly to the central hospital or lab. Healthcare personnel at the hospital then test the sputum sample using the GeneXpert diagnostic tool. The purpose of this project is to assist the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) Nepal and the National Tuberculosis Center by generating the data necessary to assess the suitability of the approach for nationwide expansion.
“The Humanitarian and Public Safety Awards demonstrate the profound ability of the recipients to positively impact lives through unmanned systems technology and create tremendous goodwill for our industry,” said Brian Wynne, president, and CEO of AUVSI. “We proudly recognize the six winners and hope their accomplishments will serve as an inspiration to utilize UAS to accomplish remarkable achievements for our society, which during a global pandemic is needed now more than ever.”
Birat Nepal Medical Trust (BNMT), the public health partner of this project is running TB projects across several districts in Nepal and the drone was brought into operation to carry out TB tests in Pyuthan District.
“Among them, Nepal Flying Lab flew drones in Pyuthan district, collected sputum, while BNMT collected sputum from village to village, loaded it in drones and checked it in hospitals using GeneXpert machines,” said Pudasaini. For the investigation, BNMT had assisted in installing GeneXpert machine at Pyuthan District Hospital. Pudasaini said, “Examining the sputum under a microscope can only give 45 to 50 percent true results differentiating whether it is tuberculosis or not. But a Gene Expert machine has 98 percent efficiency in giving accurate results.”
Altogether 5 multi-sector experts including, Nepal Flying Labs & Drone Nepal, Birat Nepal Medical Trust, Drones & Technology-We Robotics, DroNepal, Research-The Liverpool School fo Tropical Medicine and District Public Health Office Pyuthan, Ministry of Health and Population Nepal, the National TB Center are involved in this project. The project is also supported by Stony Brook University and Nick Simon Institute Nepal.
The AUVSI XCELLENCE Awards honor innovators with a demonstrated commitment to advancing autonomy, leading and promoting safe adoption of unmanned systems, and developing programs that use these technologies to save lives and improve the human condition.
