A hydrogen powered drone just made an epic ocean crossing
Despite advances drones today are still limited by their range, but new technologies like hydrogen fuel cells are helping overcome those limitations.
Key takeaways
- See it in action Using its temperature controlled payload system the drone was used to transport live bacteria samples from a hospital on the Caribbean island of St.
- Thomas that involved crossing 43 miles (69 km) of open ocean, and when it successfully reached its destination the drone reportedly still had almost 30 minutes of flight time left on its fuel cell.
- For the inaugural test flight a crew from Doosan followed the drone in a boat ready to take manual control if needed but next year, when the drone undergoes its first fully autonomous test flights, it will fly completely solo.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2019) 'A hydrogen powered drone just made an epic ocean crossing', 311 Institute, 5 December. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/a-hydrogen-powered-drone-just-made-an-epic-ocean-crossing/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Although multi-copter drones are now being used to transport everything from blood supplies to donuts their short battery life limits their range, but this week, hot on the heels of hydrogen powered trucks and a hydrogen powered flying taxi with a record beating 400km range, a new hydrogen powered delivery drone achieved a new drone flight record and managed a staggering 1 hour, 43 minute ocean crossing between two Caribbean islands.
The test was the result of a collaboration between Texas based drone development company Guinn Partners, Georgia based Skyfire Consulting, the US Department of Health, and drone manufacturer Doosan who supplied the hydrogen fuel cell powered DS30 octocopter.
See it in action
Using its temperature controlled payload system the drone was used to transport live bacteria samples from a hospital on the Caribbean island of St. Croix to a testing facility on the neighbouring island of St. Thomas that involved crossing 43 miles (69 km) of open ocean, and when it successfully reached its destination the drone reportedly still had almost 30 minutes of flight time left on its fuel cell.
According to Guinn Partners it can ordinarily take up to a week before patients' biological fluid samples are transported between the two islands by manned aircraft, and in the case of illnesses such as Dengue fever the infection can progress to dangerous levels within that amount of time, but because using a drone is much cheaper and simpler solution the new test means that the samples could be sent to St. Croix immediately for a much faster life saving turn around.
For the inaugural test flight a crew from Doosan followed the drone in a boat ready to take manual control if needed but next year, when the drone undergoes its first fully autonomous test flights, it will fly completely solo.
Source: Guinn Partners
What this means for your organisation
Range makes real use possible.
Battery life has limited drones to short hops. A crossing of 43 miles with time to spare turns them into a transport option, not a demonstration.
Time is the clinical value.
Samples that took up to a week can now move in under two hours. For illnesses that progress quickly, that difference saves lives.
Cost favours the drone.
The article notes it is much cheaper and simpler than crewed aircraft. Any operator flying small, urgent payloads should compare the two.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
- Which of our urgent deliveries depend on crewed aircraft?
- What would cutting delivery time from days to hours be worth?
- Could hydrogen range change our logistics network?
The trends and technologies behind this story
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s article and 311 data. First published on Fanatical Futurist.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
Despite advances drones today are still limited by their range, but new technologies like hydrogen fuel cells are helping overcome those limitations.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
Read full bio
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 17-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder, President and Futurist of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity programme, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
Regularly featured in the global media including the AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, Forbes, Khaleej Times, Telegraph, TIME, ViacomCBS, WIRED, and the WSJ, Matthews mission is to help organisations create a fair and sustainable future whose benefits are shared by everyone irrespective of their ability, background, or circumstances.
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Sources and further reading
- Guinn Partners guinnpartners.com
- Skyfire Consulting skyfireconsulting.com
- Doosan skyfire consulting drone delivery guinnpartners.com
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 5 December 2019. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2019). A hydrogen powered drone just made an epic ocean crossing. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/a-hydrogen-powered-drone-just-made-an-epic-ocean-crossing/
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