Health security

Biotech Firm Announces Plan To Transport Organs By Drone

Chinese aerial technology company EHang Holdings Limited has announced a new collaboration with US company Lung Biotechnology PBC to optimize Ehang’s human passenger drones for organ transplant delivery.

Lung Biotechnology, a subsidiary of United Therapeutics Corporation, develops and commercializes innovative products to enhance organ transplantation. It specializes in manufacturing lungs and other organs for transplant using a variety of technologies, including pig-to-human xenotransplantation, as well as regenerating them from stem cells.

The company plans to develop and purchase 1,000 units of the Ehang 184, an autonomous drone capable of carrying a passenger more than 10 miles through the air at speeds up to 65 miles per hour. The drone, which was named for ‘one’ passenger, ‘eight’ propellers, and ‘four’ arms, was introduced at CES 2016 earlier this year.

“This is exactly the kind of global impact we envisioned when building the 184,” explained Huazhi Hu, CEO of EHang. “Partnering with Martine and Lung Biotechnology is an incredible opportunity to bring the 184 to the emergency medical space, and specifically help to revolutionize the organ delivery system in the United States. It's also representative of our broader dedication to making the EHang 184 and its commercial drones readily available to a number of different industries today.”