Miniature unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are generally associated with military operations but South Africa's National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) is using this technology to save lives. 

UAVs are aircraft that are not operated by any pilot, from their point of departure to their destination. Instead the aircraft is guided and navigated by electronic systems. UAVs have been used successfully for military operations across the world, mainly for intelligence gathering, surveillance and target identification. 

However in recent years there has been an increase in the awareness of the benefits UAVs present to civilian areas of research, game counting, fire fighting and the transportation of medical supplies. 

In light of this, the NHLS has developed a Medic Air courier service through which blood samples are transported from rural clinics to NHLS labs by UAVs. This is a direct response to the challenges posed by HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB) epidemics in South Africa. 

"Where roads and communications are substandard, the link between clinics and laboratories become more tenuous," says the NHLS. "A speedy and accurate laboratory service is mission critical for managing the twin epidemics of HIV/AIDS and TB." 

The NHLS' UAVs were developed in collaboration with aerospace and military systems manufacturer Denel. 

Known as e-Juba (electronic pigeon in Zulu), each UAV, weighing 3.5kg, can carry a load of up to 500g, delivering 12 specimen jars over a distance of 40km. The UAVs are fitted with GPS Navigation technology, onboard telemeters that can communicate real time video to receiver laptop base stations as well as altitude emitters and detectors allowing for precision autonomous landings. 

The NHLS has also experimented with a smaller UAV weighing 800g that is ideal for the transportation of very light loads such as paper spots for molecular diagnostics.

To further speed up the process of specimen testing in rural clinics, the NHLS uses cellphone technolgy to communicate test results. In addition, the organisation has developed a custom-made SMS printer which can print hardcopy reports or test results from a wireless signal to any remote clinic in South Africa where the SMS printer is installed. 

The combined use of eJuba and the SMS service allows the NHLS to return laboratory results to even the most remote rural clinics within six hours. 

The technology has already been tested in the Western Cape, Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal. The NHLS hopes to roll out the eJuba in other parts of the country, following legislative approval from South Africa's Civil Aviation Authority.