The first lung delivery via drone

Unither Bioelectronics

We fly for life

A Breath in the Sky

About Us

The Issue

Thousands of patients die every year waiting for an organ transplant due to the severe shortage of donors, and the time-sensitive supply of compatible and usable organs. Supply is simply not meeting the critical level of demand.

The Leader

United Therapeutics has a vision to change the fate and lives of these patients. Through innovative techniques in lung manufacturing, including pig-to-human xenotransplantation and advanced 3D bio-printing, and enabled by an integrated delivery network, Unither Bioelectronics has set itself on a course to be both a game-changer and lifesaver for those in need.

The Challenge

To design and fully implement a highly efficient and environmentally friendly transportation system, including a fleet of autonomous aircrafts capable of quickly delivering an unlimited supply of manufactured transplantable organs with a one-day lifespan, from a small number of manufactured organs facilities to transplant centers.

The Solution

A new generation of Electrically-Powered, Optionally-Piloted, Powered-Lift Aircraft, that has the capability to take-off and land vertically at hospitals.

The Task

Unither Bioelectronics, a wholly owned subsidiary of United Therapeutics Corporation, is leading a significant effort for the development of its autonomous organ delivery airborne system tapping into the Quebec aerospace expertise and ecosystem, and many other international partners.

The Team

Unither Bioelectronics has brought together an impressive multi-disciplinary team of industrial experts, with a collective vision to bring this innovative project through to fruition. Composed of several pioneers in electric aviation, autonomy experts and AI researchers, the company is addressing, with utmost rigor, all critical aspects of key R&D areas and critical enablers for the future scaling of organs on-demand, that will allow safe operations of the entire organ delivery drone aircraft fleet.

Our Commitment

Underlying this effort is a creative, forward-thinking process involving a team of experts committed and capable of achieving the technology breakthroughs that a project of this magnitude demands. Working within, and supported by, a dynamic innovation ecosystem in Quebec, including the Bromont Science Park, Unither Bioelectronics is eager and energized to push the current knowledge and boundaries to the next stages of development in the field of autonomous electric vertical flight.

The Leadership Team

Martine Rothblatt - Chief Executive Officer

Mikaël Cardinal - VP, Program Management - Organ Delivery Systems

Organ Delivery Systems

Our mission is to enable and scale autonomous electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft systems (eVTOL) as the primary transportation system that will deliver an unlimited supply of United Therapeutics manufactured organs to waiting patients, with a low impact on environment. At the moment, the company is supporting several research & development programs, performed all in parallel, in order to explore different technological approaches and also to tackle the various technical and certification challenges.

EPSAROD 1.0
EPSAROD 1.0

Objective

To gain experience with the electric powertrain certification process by using a Robinson R-44 helicopter converted in an Electrically-Powered Semi-Autonomous Rotorcraft for Organ Delivery (EPSAROD) which was used as a baseline for what e-VTOL projects can achieve using already certified airframe technology.

Team

Integrated Team with Tier 1 Engineering based in California and Unither Bioelectronics.

Breakthrough

December 7, 2018 - The battery-powered manned helicopter set a Guinness World Record for the farthest distance traveled by an all-electric helicopter by flying 30 nautical miles (56 km) to 120m altitude with an average speed of 80 knots (148 km/h) at the Los Alamitos Army Airfield in California under a special airworthiness certificate issued by the FAA.

ALIA-250
ALIA-250

Objective

To create, build and endeavor to certify a fully-optimized optionally-piloted eVTOL aircraft that can carry organs on distances reaching 250 nautical miles (463 km), including reserve energy.

Team

An impressive multidisciplinary team, including Quebec-based industrial experts, with Beta Technologies acting as the lead aircraft designer and manufacturer.

Breakthrough

July 6th, 2021 - Longest all-electric piloted flight ever performed in aviation history, achieving a distance of 205 miles (330 km).

EHang MOTH
EHang MOTH

Objective

Enable routine fully-autonomous organ delivery mission on low-level VFR/IFR flight routes by leveraging the Manufactured Organ Transport e-Helicopter System, or MOTH.

Team

EHang as the lead aircraft designer and manufacturer.

Breakthrough

August 2020 - First operations in Canada of EHang technology with Unither as the operator, under a special Flight Operation Certificate delivered by Transport Canada Civil Aviation.

Partners

Achievements

A Breath in the Sky

September 2021

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E-R44 makes historic cross-country flight

November 02nd, 2022

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Electric VTOL for Organs on Demand

February 25th, 2019

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Why an electric R44 helicopter makes more sense than you think

December 18th, 2018

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Farthest flight by an electric helicopter

December 07th, 2018

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Careers

Transformational Thinkers

At Unither Bioelectronics, we are transformational thinkers. We believe “yes” there is a better way and our success is based on creating it. We celebrate our diversity of perspectives and champion creative thinking to achieve our goals. We are also pragmatic by being nimble, focused, and disciplined – committed to doing the right thing, the right way. We are relentless in our pursuit of flying to save lives.

If you are interested to participate in Unither's mission, we invite you to look at the United Therapeutics website for opened positions.

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