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2025-11-21
The Hydrogen-powered Transformation of Drones Will Maximize Benefits across Various Application Fields
The Hydrogen-powered Transformation of Drones Will Maximize Benefits across Various Application Fields
The applications of drones are diverse, generating a wide range of demands. Among these, meeting the three key requirements — endurance, quiet operation, and environmental friendliness — remains the greatest challenge for current drone technology. Widely used lithium batteries fall short in providing the necessary long endurance, prompting the industry to develop hydrogen energy technology as an alternative. The primary focus is on applications with special needs for long-distance flights, such as pesticide spraying, logistics, inspection, and disaster relief. According to an analysis report published by Global Insight Services in 2025, within the transport-oriented hydrogen drone market, the commercial delivery sector holds approximately 45% of the market share, emergency services account for 30%, and the agricultural sector represents 25%. The industry is actively working to introduce hydrogen energy into these three key sectors, leveraging its performance advantages to achieve breakthroughs not only in cost and operational efficiency but also in extending its impact beyond science and engineering to humanitarian care and reducing the urban-rural divide.
Hydrogen-powered Drones Have the Potential to Deliver Medical Supplies to Remote Rural Areas Efficiently
The COVID-19 outbreak has underscored the critical role of drones in delivering medical supplies. During the pandemic, delivering goods to remote areas proved time-consuming, making the use of drones to transport time-sensitive personal protective equipment, vaccines, and other essential medical supplies highly effective. Drones enable rapid delivery to these locations while minimizing human contact during distribution, making them the most efficient method. However, servicing remote areas requires drones with extended flight times, which has driven the development of hydrogen-powered drones specifically designed for medical supply transport, setting a leading example in emergency services.As early as 2019, a South Korean drone company, in collaboration with several drone consultancy groups and the U.S. Department of Health, conducted a project using a hydrogen-powered octocopter to deliver diagnostic samples and vaccine substitutes in temperature-controlled payload systems. The drone completed a 69-kilometer medical delivery over international waters between Saint Croix Island and Saint Thomas Island, flying for 1 hour and 43 minutes while retaining 30 minutes of hydrogen fuel after landing. The company also successfully delivered a medical AED to the summit of Hallasan Mountain, South Korea’s highest peak at 1,947 meters, using this drone. This experiment demonstrated the feasibility, safety, and reliability of hydrogen fuel cell technology in extending drone endurance, inspiring the industry to leverage the advantages of hydrogen energy in medical drones and marking a significant milestone in commercialization.Due to its vast territory, Australia offers significant opportunities for drone use, particularly in life-saving medical applications, which are highly valued. Medical drones can provide timely support for conditions commonly found in rural and remote areas, such as sepsis, helping to address health disparities, bridge gaps in care, and ensure that every Australian has access to the healthcare they deserve. Residents in remote parts of Australia often require three to five days of travel to obtain basic blood tests, resulting in infections progressing to sepsis due to delays in diagnosis and treatment. In 2024, ASAC Consultancy—a firm providing advisory services to public and private sectors, non-profit organizations, and Indigenous communities in health and aged care, collaborated with a team led by professors from the University of Sydney’s Net Zero Initiative and the Faculty of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering. Together, they confirmed that hydrogen-powered vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) drones are suitable for long-distance flights using clean energy to deliver medical pods containing pathology samples, blood products, antivenoms, medicines, and medical supplies to rural and remote areas, and they initiated a joint development project.
Reference
1. The University of Sydney, News Release, 2024-04-22, Medical drone project receives $3.6 million to close health gap in rural and remote Australia
2. Drone Life, Miriam McNabb, 2019-11-05, Doosan Fuel Cell Drone Makes 43 Mile Medical Delivery
3. Ballard, 2019-10, Impact of Hydrogen Drones for Package Delivery
4. Drone Life, Miriam McNabb, 2025-04-04, Breaking the Limits: How Solid-State Hydrogen is Powering the Next Generation of UAV
