A hydrogen helicopter project in Canada can potentially be a boon for lung health on two fronts.
That's because the parties involved with the effort — a partnership between Quebec's Unither Bioelectronics and California's Robinson Helicopter Company — are developing choppers that will deliver lungs for transplant patients without producing heat-trapping air pollution that can harm respiratory health. That's according to a detailed joint press release from the companies.
"Just as protons from hydrogen atoms drive the mitochondrial power plants in each of our body's cells, we look forward to using protons from green hydrogen to drive the membrane-based fuel cell power plants in our Robinson … organ delivery electric helicopters," United Therapeutics CEO Martine Rothblatt said. United is Unither's parent company.
Robinson is working on the technical, regulatory, and engineering details needed to clear the Transport Canada Civil Aviation and U.S. Federal Aviation Administration approvals for the helicopters.
United Therapeutics Organ Delivery Systems head Mikael Cardinal said in the press notice that he considers hydrogen power to be the "next frontier in sustainable aviation."
"This collaboration accelerates the development of sustainable transportation solutions for life-saving organs," he noted.
Hydrogen aircraft are already being developed elsewhere, too. One of Joby Aviation's multi-propeller machines has already flown more than 500 miles during a test flight using a combination of hydrogen and electric technology. It's an electric vertical takeoff and landing craft, aka eVTOL.
Hydrogen fuel cells produce only water vapor and heat when they use chemistry to generate electricity, according to the U.S. Energy Department. The agency is backing a large project in Texas to vet the production and use of hydrogen as an alternative to fossil fuels.
But the government also notes that most commercial hydrogen in the U.S. is made with a process using planet-warming fuel sources. It's a barb marked by the environmental watchdog Sierra Club.
It only supports hydrogen made through a cleaner process called electrolysis, which uses electricity to separate hydrogen from water. What's more, the club will only endorse hydrogen if the electrolysis is powered by renewable energy.
The helicopter press release focuses more on the aircraft and its organ delivery potential than the plan to produce the hydrogen powering the flights.
A Unither video clip shows part of the incredible vision for the technology. The cleaner-energy helicopters would use high-tech, automated navigation and controls to deliver "manufactured" organs with or without a pilot in the scenario outlined in the clip. While Unither focuses on manufactured organs (both pig-to-human and what the company calls "advanced 3D bio-printing"), the tech's applications could easily apply to deceased human donor organs — which medical professionals have identified as an area facing several challenges — and a number of other applications, too.
"We are honored to be working with one of the world's largest helicopter manufacturers as we continue to extend our track record of saving hundreds of lives through aviation-delivered transplanted lungs," Rothblatt said.
We can all contribute to better lung health with some easy, everyday choices. Unplugging unused chargers and devices at night can save you more than $100 a year in energy costs while reducing the creation of planet-warming fumes made as electricity is being wasted.
Riding a bike instead of driving for short trips also prevents air pollutants, saves money, and improves your cardio and lung health.
For their part, officials from Robinson and Unither will be working toward government approvals needed for their unique organ-delivery plan.
"By deepening our existing relationship with Unither Bioelectronics, we can accelerate the arrival," Robinson CEO David Smith said in the press release.
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