Drones could soon deliver vital medical transplants in rural Australia

If you live in Outback Australia, your much-needed heart transplant could one day arrive by drone.

A new consortium hopes to find a role for the unmanned flying machines in delivering urgent medical supplies to remote communities. 

The Australian RPAS Consortium (ARC), made up of eight groups with interests in the hardware, security and legal aspects of drones, including UAS International and the University of Sydney, launched its Angel Drone project Friday.

First up, they plan to trial a drone able to carry blood samples, president of the group, Ron Bartsch, told Mashable. "We've got a specifically developed medi-drone that has got an [incubator] in it, which ensures the blood is kept at the right temperatures and conditions," he said. Read more...