Drone Firm Draganfly Markets COVID Monitor

Canadian drone and tech company Draganfly recently announced a partnership with production firm Enderby Entertainment to market a new safety solution to monitor for possible COVID symptoms on TV and film sets.

Draganfly will provide Safe Set Solutions, a ground-based technology that uses symptom pre-screening, elevated body temperature measurement, and social distancing digital display to help ensure that everybody on the set is safe.

Enderby, in addition to distributing the technology, is buying Safe Set Solutions for two productions slated to begin this summer: Firewatch and Legacy, both recently acquired feature films.

“We are continuing to look at innovative ways to operate in this new normal of film production, making health and safety the number one priority,” said Rick Dugdale, President and CEO of Enderby Entertainment.

“With crews eager to get back to work, we are focused on employing the best resources on our sets to ensure the safest possible environment. Draganfly’s technology could offer a solution for our industry, allowing cast and crew back on set while giving them the peace of mind that we are adhering to CDC and other health organization guidelines.”

Draganfly’s technology is a health and respiratory measurement platform used as a pre-screening tool to help identify possible infectious and respiratory conditions for the safety of film crews and workforces; as well as areas where people congregate such as airports, schools, shopping malls and other high traffic locations.

The technology does not collect personal data or use facial recognition software, but rather the system is used to understand patterns and help global film productions companies make better decisions and react quicker to mitigate potential health threats.

“While the world is starting to reopen their economies, the struggle for many industries to do this safely and effectively remains complicated,” said Cameron Chell, Draganfly CEO.

“Partnering with Enderby to bring Safe Set Solutions to the film industry is a significant step to help Hollywood and the global film industry safely ramp up production. Film industry investors, insurance companies, unions and guilds are all seeking this type of solution to protect their investments and keep workers safe.”

The partnership is a departure from Draganfly’s drone-facing efforts, including the recent acquisition of Vancouver-based Dronelogics in January.

Draganfly Highlights

• 2015: Draganfly released a suite of multiple, changeable drone payload systems including, high resolution color camera systems, FLIR thermal imaging and advanced, multi-spectral data acquisition systems.
• 2014: The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum added the Draganflyer X4-ES to its vertical flight exhibit in commemoration of it being the first unmanned aerial helicopter responsible for saving a human life.
• 2013: A Draganfly X4-ES equipped with thermal imaging technology helped rescuers locate the critically injured driver of a car following a midnight crash. After two hours of combing the area fruitlessly, officials released the unmanned X4-ES which quickly located the victim.