A Chinese drone operator was transporting the belongings of villagers displaced by flooding in southwestern China when he spotted a man on the rooftop of a house. Waters had reached a dangerous level, he told the state broadcaster CCTV, so he used the drone to lift the man and move him to safety.
The video, which was widely circulated on social media, showed an area in Guangxi Province flooded with green-grey water, and a man dangling from a long cord attached to the drone, which set him down on a road.
The rescue happened more out of luck than design. The owner of the drone, Lai Zhongxin, normally uses his vehicles to spray fertilizer and transport construction materials, the CCTV report said.
Drones have been used in south and southwestern China to provide aid to areas hit by torrential rains this past week. Hoisting large canvas bags filled with relief supplies, they flew over pools of flood water and traffic-clogged roads, as extreme weather set off mass evacuations and emergency alerts. The drones also sprayed disinfectant on silt-covered fields.
Louis Liu, the founder and chief executive of DAP Technologies, a Beijing-based consultancy specializing in air mobility, compared the rescue of the man to an excavator being used to lift someone in a fire in the absence of other tools.
“Normally, people aren’t allowed to use an agricultural drone to suspend a person in midair,” he said. “But in an emergency, if someone is about to drown, that’s something the law would overlook.”
“Developing drones specifically for rescuing people is definitely an area for development,” he added. “Many in the industry are already attempting it.”
And last week, firefighters in the southern city of Shenzhen carried out a drill using drones that flew up and down a glass skyscraper, spraying jets of water.
Drones are already commonly used in cities like Shenzhen for delivering takeout food and packages. In March, China’s Civil Aviation Administration issued approvals that would allow two companies, EHang and Hefei Hey Airlines, to operate drones for commercial passenger services.
The role of drones has become more visible since last year, when Premier Li Qiang identified the “low-altitude economy,” referring to the use of this technology in airspace under 1,000 meters, as a national priority.
Tiffany May is a reporter based in Hong Kong, covering the politics, business and culture of the city and the broader region.
Jiawei Wang is a video journalist for The New York Times based in Seoul.
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