Weather, Big Uncertainty Factor for Drone Delivery|"無人機"偏鄉運輸 天候成關鍵因素

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is expanding the application scope of drones by using them to deliver snake antivenoms and mail. It has chosen Alishan Township to test out the program. Although the first two days were successful, the drones couldn't execute their mission on Apr. 19 due to weather conditions. This showed that weather is a very big uncertainty factor for drones as a public transportation tool.


The 18-kilogram drone takes off from Alishan Public Health Center and delivers snake antivenom to Lichia Health Center, which is 23 kilometers or an hour's drive away. The first two days of the drone delivery program were a resounding success, but it had to be suspended on the third day due to unstable weather.

We are now considering technical capabilities and environmental interference, including weather. We have to keep accumulating more data.

The production process for snake antivenom is extremely difficult. Antivenom is also only good for a certain amount of time. Production is also very expensive. This is why in the past it has been distressing when we had to destroy antivenom past its use-by date while preparing a new supply.

Medical and civic resources often can't be delivered to rural and remote areas due to road blockages after natural disasters. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications hopes drones can provide a solution and be used to deliver antivenom and mail, but admits weather is an obstacle because clouds can affect GPS accuracy. Transportation and Communications Minister Lin Chia-lung says the program is still being tested and won't be officially launched until all the kinks have been worked out.

It can be very windy in mountainous areas due to wind convection. You could pass a ridge and immediately face strong currents or updrafts. When there is abnormal turbulence or warnings (during flights), we can trigger safety mechanisms to bring the drones back.

The drone operation team says it only uses cloud-controlled drones, which means there is no need for training. The only task that needs to be performed manually is positioning the drone on its launch spot. Although the drones have protective features, it remains to be seen if they can overcome poor weather and be employed across the island.



重量超過18公斤的無人機，載著抗蛇毒血清從阿里山衛生所慢慢升空，飛往23公里遠、車程約1小時的里佳衛生所，成功將抗蛇毒血清運達，這是這兩天測試運送血清成功的畫面，19號上午原訂也要飛行，卻受限於天氣不穩，取消計畫。

交通部長 林佳龍表示：「現在考量到技術的能力，跟受到環境干擾，包括天候，這個都不斷的要去累積更多的資料。」

衛福部疾管署南區管制中心主任 李翠鳳表示：「蛇毒血清的製造，非常的不容易，那再加上它的有效期限也是有一定，再加上它造價又相當得高，所以說我們過去也會有一些，覺得滿心疼的地方是，因為沒用到我們可能就要銷毀，又要再準備一批新的。」

偏鄉地區幅員廣大，醫療及民生物資的運送碰上天災路斷就可能中止，交通部規劃將無人機運用來送血清以及郵件，希望改善問題，但也坦言，天氣是最大的不確定因素，只要當天雲層太厚，可能影響GPS定位。不過交通部長林佳龍也強調，目前還是測試階段，會等一切就緒才上路。

無人機操作團隊執行長 張東琳表示：「山區裡面對流，非常非常的不穩定，有可能過了一個山稜線，因為熱氣流它可能聚集在某一個地方，或是一個上升氣流，影響非常非常的大，(飛行中)我們會發現，一些異常的飛行的震動或是飛行的警訊的時候，我們就可以去觸發我們的安全機制，完成返航。」

無人機操作團隊表示，目前無人機飛行全程由雲端操控，只需有人協助飛機擺放在起飛的地點，不用另外訓練飛行者，但是雖然飛機本身有防護機制，何時能克服天氣影響，廣泛運用到全台偏鄉，還得觀察。