Drone Delivery – Kidney, Cornea Carried in Las Vegas

Drones are doing so much more than they did when they first hit the market. We are used to their camera recordings of fascinating top views and delivery of vital supplies during emergencies.

This time a drone carried a human kidney and a cornea in two different flight tests across Nevada. 

The flights are conducted by the collaboration of MissionGO, a provider of unmanned aviation solutions, and Nevada Donor Network, an organ procurement organization (OPO). They’ve recently announced that the tests were successfully completed on September 17.

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“These flights are an exciting step forward – the research conducted during last week’s test flights are another data point to illustrate that unmanned aircraft are a reliable mode of transportation for life-saving cargo, and that MissionGO’s UAS are safe for both the payload and people on the ground – even at greater distances,” Anthony Pucciarella, MissionGO President explained. “We are grateful to be testing our technology with our partners at the Nevada Donor Network and look forward to what we can achieve together with more research like this.”

Among two flights, the first one headed from Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center to Dignity Health-St. Rose Dominican, San Martín Campus carrying research corneas.

The second one delivered a research kidney to a small town located in the Las Vegas desert, from an airport. The kidney delivery operation has taken first place in history as the longest organ delivery flight in an unmanned aircraft, declares the MissionGOstatement. The last kidney delivery through a drone that MissionGO operated was in April, 2019 and the kidney was successfully transplanted into the patient. It seems that the recent operation has just surpassed its elder.  

This year, apart from its being sort of chaotic, has been a dynamic one for drone deliveries apparently. It’s amazing how the process went from recording views to carrying groceries and involving in defense industries.