Researchers at the University of Maryland have outfitted and modified a drone to recreate the conditions of a safe organ transportation. The six-rotor drone is the first of many trials that researchers are making towards drone organ transportation, a process that can have many benefits to hospitals, doctors, and patients. The drone was outfitted with a wireless biosensor and equipped with a GPS system in order to track the status of the organ in a real-time. Around 14 similar drones were used during the initial testing phase.

The results were seen as promising. As the drones took flight, researchers measured relevant data, including pressure changes, temperature, vibrational factors, and peak velocity. Doctors took biopsy samples of the kidney organ being used for the test both before and after the transportation and found that there was virtually no damage done to the organ during the flight. One of the drones took a 3 mile flight, which simulated a transportation between two hospitals.

Drones are suitable for organ transportation. A shortened delivery time from donor to recipient means that drones can help save lives.  The drone used in the experiment, a DJI Matrice 600 features flight time of 20 minutes, maximum speeds of 40 miles per hour and a maximum cargo load weight of 13 lbs. For long distance organ transportation, a bigger, more powerful drone may be used. As of the moment, there’s the line-of-sight law requirement that researchers will need to overcome to bring the experiment into reality, and the results are promising.