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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.
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.
Sounds like a job for Elon Musk. Kidney-sized hyperloop tunnels.
de-liver a liver?
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?
The summary specifically says this is a typical distance for transferring between hospitals.
Does it take too long to get a helicopter pilot into the air?
So your point is that they shouldn't waste money on a $500 drone, when a mere $1.5M helicopter can do it for only $1000 an hour?
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.
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.
I think what they are looking at here is not long term delivery, but what is the quickest point-to-point in an urban setting. Having a helicopter ready to go airborne is not cheap, whereas a drone can literally be left in a shed until it's needed. Also helicopters will ostensibly have tighter regulations on when and where they can fly since they do a lot more damage in a crash than a drone. Take the example of a helicopter grounded in bad weather- it can't fly because if it wrecks in can cause considerable damage and kill the pilots. In comparison, a drone is potentially expendable, isn't very likely to do much damage if it crashes, so all you are risking is the organ itself, which will soon be worthless if it doesn't get a move on anyway.
i wonder what the market for drone harvesting look like...
they compared vibrations for 2.4 KM of taxiing.
https://www.theverge.com/2016/...
Zipline International
Rwanda delivers blood and medication to remote clinics by drone. Fast, safe.
I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
Let me see, someone's life is on the line at the other end, say it is your life. Whilst a $500 drobe could probably do it, would you be willing to wait at the other end for the whoops ie taken out by a stray bird (drone falls from the sky), a large piece of wind blown plastic, radio transmission interference or the drone or remote suffers any kind of glitch and whoops you die. It is not whether or not the drone can do it, that is a given, obviously it can, how reliably can it do it, that is the question and how do you need to set up the system for at least 99%, reliability and for that backup and recovery systems.
Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
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...
"200 years ago people believed speeds in excess of 20 miles could not be survived."
Uh, didn't people ride horses back then?
I own a drone (DJI Mavic). I worked with helicopters when I was in the military. They have WAY more down time than drones.
So your argument is completely backwards. If you need reliable deliveries, go with the drone.