BLACKSBURG, Va., March 4 -- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University issued the following news release:
In Malawi, collecting water samples can kill you.
Schistosomiasis putsnearly halfof Malawi's population at risk, and the parasites that cause the diseasedon'twait for permission. They pierce human skinoncontact. For decades, researchers and health workers had no choice but to wade into contaminated waters, especially in reed-filled areas where the snails carrying the parasites thrive.
A team of Virginia Tech students developed a solution to that problem. Their drone hovers four feet above the water, drops a container that fills in about 10 seconds, and returns the sample to a safe location, geotagged to the exact collection ...