Drones are used to move organs between cities.

 Technology

Drones are used to move organs between cities.

A consortium's hope that the technology will be employed soon to save more lives is strengthened by a recent trial that used drones to transfer organs within Texas and Oklahoma, cutting journey times in half.

Currently in the experimentation phase, the "drone" is a light, single-engine piston Cessna that can be piloted optionally. Up to 400 lbs of cargo, including donated organs, are intended to be transported by the autonomous vehicle.

The drone was launched from Texas Tech University's Reese Technology Center in Lubbock and traveled 350 miles to Oklahoma City as part of the first leg of the test on Nov. 15. The drone was carrying a kidney, liver, and pancreas along with blood and tissue.

The drone covered a distance of 471 miles to reach the San Antonio International Airport during the subsequent test leg. After then, it went back to the Reese Technology Center.

For the first time, a drone carried donated organs that far; the flight was controlled by robotics out of Dallas. The plane was flown totally by technology, but as a safety and security precaution, a pilot was on board, per Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations.

"I am not aware of any mishap that has occurred. The flight was being tracked by us. According to Clara Guerrero, director of communications for the Texas Organ Sharing Alliance, "we did notice slight delays depending on wind changes." "We were maybe 10 minutes behind schedule, that's the only variation I noticed."

The experiment's objective was to ascertain whether drone technology will enable more rapid and effective delivery of donated organs to patients in need—organs that need to reach their recipient as soon as feasible.