If it succeeds, hospitals will be able to cut transportation time by half.
Sreekanth Nair
Transportation of organs from one hospital to another for emergency transplantation is a risky affair in India as the ambulance used for the transportation may get stuck in the hefty traffic on the roads. And that risk may be reduced soon, if the efforts of a group of scientists in Bengaluru succeed.
According to a report in The Times of India, scientists are on a mission in Bengaluru to give India unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are popularly called drones, for organ transportation.
“The main focus will be on transporting hearts as other organs can be preserved for longer after harvesting,” Kota Harinarayan, the father of India’s indigenous fighter Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), told Times of India.
Kota Harinarayan and senior scientist K. Ramachandra from the National Design and Research Forum (NDRF) are leading a team working on a mission named National Program for Micro Air Vehicles (NP-Micav).
With the successful completion of the project, hospitals will be able to transport organs in less than 50 percent times taken using the ambulance. The cost of the project is about $14.7 million.
“Once the specifications from doctors and engineers are finalized — the first leg of the process is expected to be complete this week — we will take the project to the government for funding and clearance,” Harinarayan said.
The team has also sought the help of experts from the United States. They have conducted primary talks with some doctors in the US.
The drone designed for organ transportation will be able to carry 250 grams of weight.
“We have demonstrated several technologies as part of the NP-Micav program that was funded by the Centre. For this project, we are looking at a vehicle of the regular UAV size and not the micro size,” Ramachandra told Times of India.
“The challenge is to achieve a 100-km range, work on which is going on,” he added.