NASA has successfully tested, for the first time, the transport of a human kidney by drone beyond the operator’s direct line of sight.
For the test, a kidney that was not suitable for transplantation was used. After the flight, specialists will examine whether the necessary temperature conditions were maintained and whether any tissue changes occurred.
The project’s main goal is to learn how to safely deliver donor organs between hospitals over distances of up to 24 kilometers. According to the developers, drones can cover difficult urban routes faster and effectively address the last-mile problem, when the final part of delivery becomes the most difficult and affects transplant timing.
If the technology proves reliable, it could become a new element of medical logistics. Faster organ delivery increases the chances of a successful transplant, since many organs remain viable for only a limited time.
