The drones we have today do everything from deliver packages to provide surveillance footage, but now we’re getting closer to something that could even save someone’s life. 

EHang, the company with the first autonomous drone on the market capable of transporting a human, has just sealed a deal that will use the drones to transfer donated organs to people in emergency situations.

Pharmaceuticals and lung transplant tech company Lung Biotechnology PBC is acquiring up to 1,000 of EHang’s autonomous drones for its Manufactured Organ Transport vehicle system (MOTH). Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Lung Biotechnology will use an advanced version of the EHang 184 drone revealed in January.

The collaboration between the two companies will span up to 15 years and will involve the drones executing pre-programmed flight plans to hospitals and recharging pads strategically located to ensure that organs are delivered while still viable for transplantation. 

“We anticipate delivering hundreds of organs a day, which means that the MOTH system will help save not only tens of thousands of lives, but also many millions of gallons of aviation transport gasoline annually,” said Martine Rothblatt, CEO of Lung Biotechnology in a statement sent to Mashable. 

No date has been given for when the first flights will take place, but as the partnership aggressively ramps up toward regular service, medical drones could hit the skies before delivery drones become ubiquitous. If this collaboration works, it’s not unrealistic to imagine automated ambulance drones transporting humans for common emergency hospital visits in the future. 

As if the autonomous drone part of the system wasn’t innovative enough, on the ground, the transport tech will support the delivery of pig-to-human xenotransplantation and organs regenerated through through stem cells therapy.

Yes, the drone age is truly upon us.  

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