Walmart Uses Drones to Fly COVID-19 Tests to American Homes
沃尔玛利用无人机将核酸检测设备配送入户
Walmart has begun using drone aircraft to transport COVID-19 tests to private homes in the United States.
沃尔玛已在美国启用无人机将核酸检测设备运送到美国的私人住宅。
This week, the company began sending COVID-19 self-collection kits to homes in the North Las Vegas area of Nevada. Walmart will fly the kits to single-family houses within 1.5 kilometers of its stores. The drones will leave the test equipment on the front sidewalk, driveway, or land around the house.
本周，该公司开始向内华达州拉斯维加斯北部地区的家庭运送自助核酸检测工具。沃尔玛将把这些设备运送到距离其店铺1.5公里范围内的私人家庭住宅。无人机将把测试设备放在住宅前的人行道上，车道上，或者投递至住宅周围。
People wishing to receive the tests are asked to first create a request with the company online. The kits enable individuals to administer the COVID-19 test themselves. A swab is included for people to collect fluid from inside the nose. Individuals can then send the collected material in the mail to a COVID-19 testing center.
希望收到检测设备的人首先要在该公司网上发一个申请。这些检测设备使得个人能够自助进行核酸检测。设备中含有一个棉签供人们通过鼻腔收集体液。收集完后，他们就可以将其邮寄到核酸检测中心。
Walmart says customers who use the service will not have to pay for the kits or use of the drones. The service will be offered daily so long as weather conditions permit drone flights.
沃尔玛表示，使用这项服务的顾客将无需为检测设备或无人机配送服务付费。只要天气情况允许无人机飞行，沃尔玛就会每天为顾客提供这项服务。
The project is a partnership between Walmart and Quest Diagnostics, a medical testing laboratory. U.S. drone services provider DroneUp is supplying the aircraft.
该项目是沃尔玛和医学检测实验室奎斯特诊断公司合作进行的一个项目。美国无人机服务供应商DroneUp为这项服务提供了无人机。
Dan Haemmerle is head of Extended Care services for Quest Diagnostics. He says the new project aims to show how drones can provide healthcare services to patients who are unable to leave their home or live in rural areas.
丹·海默尔是奎斯特诊断公司扩展护理服务部门的主管。他表示，新项目的目的是展示无人机将如何为那些无法离开家或生活在农村地区的病人提供医疗服务。
“We will take the learnings from this pilot and enhance the ways we deliver health care services to the patients we serve,” Haemmerle said.
海默尔说：“我们将从这次试点中吸取经验教训，改进我们为患者提供医疗保健服务的方式。”
Walmart said it hopes the project “will shape contactless testing capabilities on a larger scale” and lead to future expansion of the company’s delivery methods.
沃尔玛表示，它希望该项目“能在更大范围内形成无接触式检测”，并引领该公司扩展未来的交货方式。
Earlier this month, Walmart launched another test program. It uses drones to fly food and household products to customers in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
本月早些时候，沃尔玛推出了另一个测试项目——在北卡罗来纳州费耶特维尔利用无人机将食品和家居用品运送给顾客。
The company expanded its pick-up and delivery services in recent months as demand increased because of the coronavirus health crisis.
由于冠状病毒健康危机导致配送需求增加，该公司近几个月扩大了其取件和送货服务。
Tom Ward is Walmart’s senior vice-president for customer products. In announcing the program, he said it will likely take years before customers will see widespread drone deliveries. “We know that it will be some time before we see millions of packages delivered via drone. That still feels like a bit of science fiction.”
汤姆·沃德是沃尔玛负责客户产品的高级副总裁。他在宣布这项计划时表示，广泛利用无人机配送货物或许需要数年才能实现。“众所周知我们需要一定的时间来实现利用无人机完成数以百万计的包裹派送的想法。这一想法目前看还是有点像科幻小说的场景。”
Ward added, “We’re at a point where we’re learning more and more about the technology that is available and how we can use it to make our customers’ lives easier.”
沃德还补充道：“我们现在正处于一个这样一个阶段：我们对现有的技术越来越了解，并知晓如何利用它为客户营造更便利的生活方式。”
Online seller Amazon recently received U.S. government approval to deliver products by drone. But the company is still testing its self-piloting aircraft and has yet to announce a target date for launching ongoing drone deliveries.
网购销售平台亚马逊最近获美国政府批准使用无人机配送产品。但该公司仍在测试其自动驾驶飞机，且尚未宣布正式使用无人机进行配送的目标日期。
Alphabet’s drone company Wing received federal approval last year to fly drone aircraft. It has also tested deliveries of medicine and other products.
谷歌重组后的伞形公司Alphabet旗下的无人机公司Wing去年获得联邦政府批准使用无人机，并测试了使用无人机配送药品和其他产品。
And, UPS Flight Forward received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration last year to operate as the first U.S. “air carrier” with drone delivery services.
美国联合包裹运送服务公司旗下无人机配送业务公司去年获得了联邦航空管理局的批准，允许其作为美国第一家运营无人机配送服务的“空运机构”
I’m Bryan Lynn.
布莱恩·林恩报道。
用户评论