AI and Robotics Technology Park (ARTPARK), a not-for-profit foundation supported by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), has embarked on two air mobility projects that have the potential to significantly transform healthcare. One is the development of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for human organ transportation, and the other is the ambitious ‘Aero108’ air ambulance capable of carrying one patient, one operator, one paramedic, and patient life support systems. The vehicle is also capable of transporting up to 350 kg of useful cargo.
Organ Transplant
To begin, a team is working on developing a UAV capable of rapid human organ transport. “When we have to transport human organs, there is a time limit within which they can be transplanted. There are hospitals for organ retrieval and hospitals for organ transplantation. “What we’re going to do is connect them using an aerial vehicle network,” said Ansar Lone, technical lead-Aircraft Systems Engineering of the organization. He went on to say that once the organs are recovered, they can be transported to a location where they will be transplanted into a patient. “Aside from saving time, we will be able to cover over 200 km in a single sortie at a speed of 100 km/h by using these UAVs.” This project is currently being worked on. We plan to start manufacturing the prototype by the end of this year and begin testing by the middle of 2023,” he added.
Air ambulance
The second project is to create an autonomous air ambulance called Aero108 that can carry two people: a patient and a paramedic. According to ARTPARK, Aero 108 will be outfitted with cutting-edge instruments and will be capable of autonomous operations, as well as having interactive technology that will connect patients and medical staff even when they are separated by vast distances. It went on to say that the Aero108s will be monitored by controlled hubs located throughout the country. These stations will direct the nearest Aero108 to the emergency location. “The Air Ambulance will transport one patient, one operator, one paramedic, and the patient’s life support systems.” The air ambulances will either be stationed at hospitals or at a hub. “They’ll take off from there, fly to the location where there’s an emergency, pick up the patient, and land at the hospital,” Mr. Lone explained.
