Home page

First project to transport transplant organs via drone is a reality

Technology is increasingly entering not only healthcare and surgical techniques, but also actual physical hospitals. A project called INDOOR, which aims to make the transport of biological material via drone feasible, is being launched in Turin.

The ultimate aim would be to enable the transport of organs for transplantation via remotely controlled aircraft, in order to speed up operations and save lives. The project was presented by the D.O.T (Organ Donation and Transplantation) Foundation at the Molinette Hospital in Turin.

It is still too early, however, to say when the real introduction of drone transport will take place. At the moment, these are tests with inert material, but the centre expects to have everything ready within a couple of years at most.

Freepik
In Turin starts INDOOR: the first project to transport organs for transplantation via drone
Technology is increasingly entering not only healthcare and surgical techniques, but also actual physical hospitals. A project called INDOOR, which aims to make the transport of biological material via drone feasible, is being launched in Turin. The ultimate aim would be to enable the transport of organs for transplantation via remotely controlled aircraft, in order to speed up operations and save lives. The project was presented by the D.O.T (Organ Donation and Transplantation) Foundation at the Molinette Hospital in Turin. It is still too early, however, to say when the real introduction of drone transport will take place. At the moment, these are tests with inert material, but the centre expects to have everything ready within a couple of years at most.
Freepik
A new frontier of health care opens up
On 13 April 2023, a new futuristic project was presented at the Molinette hospital in Turin by the D.O.T (Organ Donation and Transplantation) Foundation, which will involve the first experimental drone flight to transport organs for transplants and other biological material. This was reported, among others, by SkyTG24.
Freepik
The name of the project is INDOOR
The project, which is called INDOOR (using drones for organ transportation) is currently only a test, to understand the feasibility, efficiency and above all the safety of using drones to transport such delicate material, since these aircraft are controlled remotely, without a pilot on board. The project was carried out in collaboration with the Interdepartmental Centre for Service Robotics of the Politecnico di Torino (PIC4SeR)
Freepik
How will the test be conducted
The actual test is scheduled for the end of April. A drone will be set in automatic navigation and will have to travel about 500 metres (as the crow flies) carrying inert material, i.e. nothing biological or dangerous but simulating real medical material. The drone will leave from Turin's CTO and land at the genetics building of the Molinette hospital.
Freepik
The description of the project
The note on the project reads: 'The initiative has a high degree of innovation and makes it possible to speed up and automate the transport of biological material and organs between Piedmontese hospitals, preserving the excellent quality and conservation of the materials. With an added value: the significant reduction in transport costs'.
Freepik
The words of the president of the D.O.T Foundation
Antonio Amoroso, president of the D.O.T Foundation and director of the Piedmont and Aosta Valley Regional Transplant Centre, speaks of this as a project that aims to significantly reduce the risks and time involved in transporting organs for transplantation, a critical situation in any case.
Freepik
When will the first operational drone be ready
At the moment, the timeframe is still quite long, but this test represents a crucial first step. By 2023, the Centre expects to have a fully operational drone. However, it could still be a couple of years before we see the first actual transport of organic material.
Informativa ai sensi della Direttiva 2009/136/CE: questo sito utilizza solo cookie tecnici necessari alla navigazione da parte dell'utente in assenza dei quali il sito non potrebbe funzionare correttamente.