Drone Fuselage for Medical Transport

Unmet Need
There are more than a billion medical cargo transport trips annually. About 740 million of these cargo trips consist of diagnostic specimens, which need to be transported quickly and in a stable environment to maintain usability. It is not always possible to have an aircraft send a specimen, so many pickups are done with ground vehicles. But ground vehicles are not as efficient as air carriers and experience more travel delays, which may result in ruined diagnostic samples. Drones are quite efficient in carrying and delivering packages, but have not been optimized for medical cargo yet. Thus, there is a need to find a new way to transport medical samples safely and efficiently.   

Technology Overview
Johns Hopkins inventors have given an existing drone the ability to carry medical cargo by providing balance and accessibility. The inventors offer a drone fuselage that can handle a diverse array of cargo types and positions by providing a payload compartment at the balance point. Mass can be added and removed from the payload compartment without affecting the balance of the aircraft. Additionally, the fuselage of the drone contains both extra batteries and the cargo in compartments that can be accessed easily from the top of the aircraft after removing a single cover. This makes it simple to service the aircraft after it lands at a remote clinic.

Stage of Development
The inventors have designed and flown a working prototype. They are revising design to improve manufacturability.
 

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