It took just six minutes, but the successful flight from Toronto Western Hospital to Toronto General Hospital demonstrated the efficacy of using drones to quickly and safely transport lungs for transplantation. Alain Hodak, a 63-year-old engineer, is the first person in history to receive a pair of lungs from a delivery drone. The shipment happened in Toronto on September 25th, as the drone landed on the roof of Toronto General Hospital at around 1:00 a.m. Shaf Keshavjee, the surgeon-in-chief with Canada's University Health Network and a professor at the University of Toronto, was there to receive and inspect the precious package.

In the dark of night, a drone takes off from a Toronto hospital rooftop, the hum of its rotors barely audible over the bustling sounds of the cars and pedestrians below in Canada's largest metropolis. On its maiden flight, with a bird's-eye view of the city's glistening skyline as it glides over apartments, shops and office towers, the drone is carrying a precious cargo -- human lungs for transplant. The 15.5-kilogram (34-pound) carbon fibre unmanned electric drone purpose-built by Quebec-based Unither Bioelectronics flew just 1.2 kilometers (0.75 miles) from Toronto Western Hospital on the city's west side to the roof of the downtown Toronto General Hospital. This handout photo released by Unither Bioelectronique and taken in September 2021 shows Unither Bioelectronique's drone transporting a pair of donor lungs, high above Toronto traffic at night Photo: Unither Bioelectronique / Jason van Bruggen The trip at the end of September took less than 10 minutes. It was automated but kept under the watchful eye of engineers and doctors.