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Maryland Test Confirms Drones Can Safely Deliver Human Organs (ieee.org)
A kidney was flown thousands of meters by a drone without incurring any damage. Reader Wave723 shares a report: When a patient who needs an organ transplantation is finally matched with a donor, every second matters. A longer wait between when an organ is removed from a donor and when it is placed into a recipient is associated with poorer organ function following transplantation. To maximize the chances of success, organs must be shipped from A to B as quickly and safely as possible -- and a recent test run suggests that drones are up to the task. [...] Last March, they (Dr. Joseph Scalea of the University of Maryland Medical Center and his team) received news that a kidney -- which was not healthy enough to be used in a transplantation -- was available for research. Over the course of roughly 24 hours, the kidney was shipped more than 1,600 kilometers (km) to Baltimore and the drone was set up for its first delivery mission. The results were published in the IEEE Journal of Translational Engineering in Health and Medicine on 6 November.
In total, the little bean-shaped organ was airborne for a little more than an hour over the course of 14 flight missions. For the farthest mission, the kidney flew 2,415 meters, a distance similar to the length of potential shipment routes for donor organs between inner city hospitals. The researchers found that the temperature of the kidney remained stable, at a cool 2.5 degrees Celsius, throughout the test runs. Air pressure corresponded with altitude, and the drone-borne organ achieved a maximum speed of 67.6 km/h. In an interesting twist, the kidney was subjected to slightly fewer vibrations when transported in the drone compared to a control delivery mission in a fixed wing plane (a dual engine turboprop King Air). Biopsies of the kidney before and after drone transportation revealed no damage from the journey, suggesting that the experiment -- which the research team believes is the first ever use of a drone for organ delivery -- was a success.
In total, the little bean-shaped organ was airborne for a little more than an hour over the course of 14 flight missions. For the farthest mission, the kidney flew 2,415 meters, a distance similar to the length of potential shipment routes for donor organs between inner city hospitals. The researchers found that the temperature of the kidney remained stable, at a cool 2.5 degrees Celsius, throughout the test runs. Air pressure corresponded with altitude, and the drone-borne organ achieved a maximum speed of 67.6 km/h. In an interesting twist, the kidney was subjected to slightly fewer vibrations when transported in the drone compared to a control delivery mission in a fixed wing plane (a dual engine turboprop King Air). Biopsies of the kidney before and after drone transportation revealed no damage from the journey, suggesting that the experiment -- which the research team believes is the first ever use of a drone for organ delivery -- was a success.
Let me know when they can harvest them first.
Drones don't have to be multirotors. A fixed wing drone would have a massively increased range and speed.
Why was there 1600 km between the two if every second matters? A flight ticket back and forth does not sound that expensive. Is this one of the US stories about the price of hospitals or something?
Is a scramjet drone flying at mach 17... get that perishable around the world in short order.
Transport kidney on a high speed train. Publish results.
200 years ago people believed speeds in excess of 20 miles could not be survived.
Tomorrow I will come up with another exciting research project.
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Right, was flown thousands of meters. 1,600 kilometers (km)?
That's 1600 km unless you are using the non-english ',' decimal separator.
But then the 2,415 meters could be in football fields, or bananas.
Anonymous Coward tests confirm that drones carrying human organs can get lost and or crash just like any drone.
For the millionth fucking time; can does not mean will or should. Drones can deliver things. But, that doesn't mean they should or should be trusted to do so.
This summary lacks a use case. Researchers didn't demonstrate traveling 1600km (that's irrelevant), they showed 2.4km. What I want to know is why is there 2.4 km distance that must be traversed. Is the idea to transfer between hospitals in a city? Is it to transfer to/from an nearby airport where a longer flight covers most of the distance? Does it take too long to get a helicopter pilot into the air?
Needs to ban whiny ACs too.
When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
Safety is not "there were successful tests". The "nothing blew up yet so it's safe" idiocy is the basis of countless accidents (remember Challenger?). Trials can disprove safety, not prove it. And even if they disprove safety by showcasing unpredictable faults, people will conclude safety from anything but catastrophic failure.
de-liver a liver?
This sounds awesome! Fantastic use case for drones!
I think what they are saying that the kidney was flow via airplane 1600km to Baltimore as would normally be done. Once in Baltimore they started doing the drone tests. Obviously you aren't going to do a 1600km pony express of drones.
" For the farthest mission, the kidney flew 2,415 meters, a distance similar to the length of potential shipment routes for donor organs between inner city hospitals. "
"In an interesting twist, the kidney was subjected to slightly fewer vibrations when transported in the drone compared to a control delivery mission in a fixed wing plane (a dual engine turboprop King Air)."
Most King Air's fly farther than 2.4km on a typical mission so I am not sure their data sample is useful. It takes about 1 Km just to stop them on the runway after the flight.
Thug 1 (T1): Opening medi-auction site now....
Thug 2 (T2): Shhh.. shhh... look lady, we're just gonna take your kidney, okay?
Victim (V): Who let you in? Why are you doing this?
T2 to T1: Hurry up... what's the going rate for a kidney?
T1: top big is.... $5800, with finders bonus... $12,450
T2: Woohoo! Take the sale, arrange for pickup - send our coordinates now.
Victim starts screaming as Thug 2 approaches her with a knife.
Thug 2 knocks her out, and proceeds to cut out her kidney.
A minute later, a tapping is heard on the window, and an ice chest is seen outside tucked under a drone.
The ice chest is packed with the kidney on ice, and is sent on its way.
Thug 1: Payment has been electronically transferred. Let's get downtown and make a fast withdrawal.
Victim wakes up in a tub of ice water...
I think it's great that drones have finally found a positive role in society after all the undeserved hype.
At the same time, while I know you have to test or you don't actually know for sure, we already knew they could carry very small cargo over short distances.
https://www.theverge.com/2016/...
Zipline International
Rwanda delivers blood and medication to remote clinics by drone. Fast, safe.
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Wait till the birds and crows figure out the drones are carrying fresh food.
But can they pick them up directly from the source while it's actively trying to get away?
Let's see, your blood type is probably on your drivers license and your doctor at least has it.
Here's a drone that can find and kill you. No, really.
And if you're dead, you're not moving, and the ambulance cam come pick you up. At least we're not doing this.
The organ harvesting drone is the another half.
its blades can chop a kidney out of someone on the street and then deliver it to the hospital where it can be installed.
I wonder if they could get human pineal extract that way...