Sunday, 13 November 2016

[www.keralites.net] Are Drones Going To Become The New Way To Deliver Organs?

 

Are Drones Going To Become The New Way To Deliver Organs?

 

If you have been a regular reader of this website and take a keen interest in knowing about everything about technology, you would have read our article on some really absurd gadgets that have launched at CES this year. One particular absurdity in that lot is the EHang drone - "the delivery drone for humans." Yes, a drone big enough to carry humans. Now, to take the hype quotient up by a level, EHang has tied up with Lung Biotechnology PBC to develop and produce 1,000 such drones for them. Lung Biotechnology PBC is a company that plans to manufacture lungs along with other artificial organs. They want the drones to be stationed outside factories/plants and use EHang to transport the organs. Calling it the Manufactured Organ Transport Helicopter or MOTH, they want these drones to be their official mode of transport for delivery of these artificial organs to patients in need in hospitals.

 

 

India is already on it

While Lung Biotechnology PBC plans to make this into a reality in the near future, back home in India, scientists have already started work on drones that will transport organs to patients in urgent need of a transplant. Every second is crucial for patients suffering from organ failure, which is why Bengaluru will be the first city in the country to ferry organs with the help of a drone. Thus, substantially cutting down on the buffer time and saving more lives.

 

 

 Natural vs Artificial

While Lung Biotechnology PBC in collaboration with EHang explores the possibilities of artificial organs and the feasibility of transferring them in a drone big enough to fit humans, scientists in Bengaluru are thinking about the immediate future, with real organs, and smaller drones. Which makes the job a bit tricky since these organs come with a shelf life. Kidneys last the longest, 24 hours. A henkghy liver, for 12-15 hours. The heart, unfortunately, doesn't stay for more than 10 hours, which makes the drones the fastest option available. Will it be the safest? We can only presume. 

 

 

Artificial organs, on the other hand, they don't exist yet. The company is totally legit. It has existed for a while and makes about $700 million in sales every year. They have invested heavily in the transplantation-ready pig organs and brought Craig Venter, one of the first scientists to master the human genome, on board to make this project into a reality. There is a considerable amount of research left to be done for artificial human organs. Post which, their "product" would need to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and FDA approvals are a process that sometimes take years, so drone transportation should be the least of their worries currently.

 

Drones, too, are a risk. As proof that the EHang can carry humans around, there's only one short video. The fact that this product needs to be tested time and again before being mass produced for the world, tells us this is still a dream in the pipeline. While Lung Biotechnology thinks it's doable, various countries around the world have different policies on drones. Most, are against it. Federal Aviation Administration or the FAA still needs to certify these drones, which again, takes time. The FAA is even considering the possibility of banning heavy drones from flying over people, and if that's the case, this whole artificial organ delivery business can be flushed down the toilet.

 

The Indian Law on drones doesn't make things easy

 

According to the international UAV laws, one is allowed to own and fly drones as long as they fly over private property. To fly it over a public place, you need to get written permissions from local authorities before you fly it. General guidelines ask drone owners to keep them away from crowded areas, military bases and airports etc. Not adhering to the laws can result in your drone being shot down, or worse, you being arrested. But to be honest, India still remains pretty clueless about these flying machines and needs laws on it soon.  But getting a Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Government of India (DGCA) clearance on the drones should be easy to get, especially when the purpose is to save lives. Drones can fly comfortably at a height of 500 ft, so it could be used to fly in the traditional no-fly zones but the real challenge remains the distance range.

 

 

 

More than saving crucial time in the emergency cases, transportation of organs in this way could also help putting a brake on the organ donation issues India faces and the much bigger menace, the illegal organ trade. If not stop it completely, it'll definitely help in monitoring and keep a control over things.

 

 


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Posted by: Cool Kis <cooolkis@gmail.com>
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