In this modern era of technology and science, we’re always asking what could possibly be next. For years now, we’ve been donating to cancer research, and organisations like this to enhance health services and reassure humankind of a flourishing future. We also use technology day in and day out: using our phones as an alarm, reminders and a source of news, but we continue to ask ourselves what else our phones could do for us.
Sometimes, upgrading the things that help us save lives, or donating parts of an item’s profit can be that answer, which is exactly what The Trident is highlighting today. We’ll be looking at the development of two items that have, perhaps quite unexpectedly, been used, or will be used, to save lives: drones and iPhones.
First, let’s look at science and health innovation, where doctors, scientists, researchers and many others work tirelessly to improve health, or further our knowledge of the world. One thing that has been surfacing recently is the interest in drones.
You heard it right, drones are getting ready to save people lives. Now, not the same drones that many photographers, videographers and vloggers use to get great footage of landscapes and birds-eye views, as researchers have come together to create a drone like no other that can lift up to 100 kilograms.
But, what is it good for?
The drone, built by Latvian firm Aerones, has the ability to carry hoses, so it was first tested to see if it could clean very tall buildings, which was a success. The next step, then, was to see if it had the potential to save lives.
The investors of this device suggest that it could be used by the fire services to increase their ability in putting out fires in a more time efficient way, and also reaching the highest points of a building – this being a great thing for the fire department, especially in widespread fires in apartments and tall business buildings where there is a larger number of people concentrated.
It can also be used in water rescues. You’re probably thinking: a drone is an electronic device and probably isn’t safe in water, right? You can, in fact, get waterproof drones in the market anyway, and for cheap, or purchase a flotation device to let them land on water, but Aerones’ drone has the ability to actually lift a full-grown adult out of water; enabling the water rescue services to use it to save people’s lives in dangerous situations.
While drones seem to have endless uses, phones, on the other hand, seem quite standard. It goes without saying, whether you’re an Apple fan or an Android fan, that when something new happens with the iPhone we all hear about it; and, despite all the things going in in the world, Apple thought it was necessary to release a red iPhone. Yes, a red iPhone: an exact copy of the very recent iPhone 8, but red. Seems pointless, right?
You’re right to question it: if this red phone is the same as the previous release, then why not release them at the same time? It could simply be a marketing tactic, as there are people out there that buy whatever Apple produces, but, this time around, the release seems to have a deeper meaning.
(PRODUCT)RED is pretty much just a red iPhone, but purchasing one makes a big difference: a portion of every sale is donated to the Global Fund, which uses its finances to support HIV/AIDS programmes.
It’s nice to see an organisation such as Apple, which can be seen to be a typically capitalist organisation that is all for gain, to contribute to and support something like the eradication of HIV and AIDS. In fact, according to their website, Apple has contributed over $160 million to the Global Fund, and it raised $30 million with the previous release of its (PRODUCT)RED iPhone 7 and 7 Plus – the most that has ever been donated to the cause.
Science and technology has done so much for us in the past, and continues to do so for our future, be it through monetary contributions or ways of upgrading our old tech to save lives.
If you liked this article, be sure to check out more of our health and innovations content on tridentmedia.org, where our talented writers have written much more about life-saving tech, and developments in the world of discovery.