China enlists drones to disinfect its streets to prevent Covid-19 spreading
As Covid-19 continues its rampage around the world governments are finding new uses for some familiar technologies.
Key takeaways
- The spraying will take place from Friday to Monday in the southern city of Shenzhen, where DJI’s headquarters are located, and it will cover factories, residential areas, hospitals and waste treatment plants.
- Over the past few weeks, local governments and agricultural drone owners have been utilizing drones to spray disinfectant, but they’ve also found other new uses.
- Drones also helped out with building additional hospital capacity in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, by providing lighting as construction workers rushed to complete the urgently needed facilities.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2020) 'China enlists drones to disinfect its streets to prevent Covid-19 spreading', 311 Institute, 27 March. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/china-enlists-drones-to-disinfect-its-streets-to-prevent-covid-19-spreading/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Increasingly the current Covid-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc around the world, and it’s rise to prominence has also spurred another rise to prominence – the Rise of the Machines – as 3D printers help print parts to fix respirators and create new ones, AI’s and supercomputers work to discover vaccines, autonomous vehicles disinfect streets and subways, drones patrol the streets looking for infected people and herding people indoors, robots “care” for Covid patients in increasingly autonomous hospitals, and smartphones become the ultimate big brother quarantine tools.
Now, as China continues its fight against the deadly coronavirus, drone maker DJI has been helping disinfect the streets after the company volunteered to disinfect over 3 million square meters (1.15 square miles) in just four days, according to local media. The spraying will take place from Friday to Monday in the southern city of Shenzhen, where DJI’s headquarters are located, and it will cover factories, residential areas, hospitals and waste treatment plants.
Over the past few weeks, local governments and agricultural drone owners have been utilizing drones to spray disinfectant, but they’ve also found other new uses. Some are using drones to disperse public gatherings and issue warnings over speakers. Drones also helped out with building additional hospital capacity in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, by providing lighting as construction workers rushed to complete the urgently needed facilities.
Not everyone agrees that spraying disinfectant all over cities is a good way to stop the virus though, which has already taken thousands of lives and infected over 375,000 people at the time of this post, and public health experts cited by Business Insider said that citywide germ busting is likely ineffective, suggesting disinfection efforts should focus on emergency rooms and other hospital areas instead. But that said this is just another example of how people and emerging technology are working together hand in, whatever, to combat the spread of this deadly disease.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
As Covid-19 continues its rampage around the world governments are finding new uses for some familiar technologies.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- 3 million square meters sz.people.com.cn
- disperse public gatherings and issue warnings abacusnews.com
- Wuhan coronavirus china dispatches bleach trucks to spray down cities 2020 2 businessinsider.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 27 March 2020. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2020). China enlists drones to disinfect its streets to prevent Covid-19 spreading. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/china-enlists-drones-to-disinfect-its-streets-to-prevent-covid-19-spreading/
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