Project Brief

Group 11: The Aesthletes

Content
01 02 03 04
Project Statement Target User Profile Environments Design Opportunities

05 06 07 08
Technology Task Analysis Testimonies Existing Solutions

Project Statement
To design an automated device to
ease the evacuation of immobilised
patients for military personnel and
disaster rescue teams.

Battle Field Nursing Assistants (BFNA)

Role: To treat injured soldiers on the warfront
Strength: Highly trained in medical operations
Difficulty: Independently lifting and carrying injured soldiers
long distances back to bases for complete treatment.

Army Soldiers

Target User
Role: To fight at the line of action
Strength: Physically apt to carry injured soldiers back to bases
for their treatment

Profile Difficulty: Lesser man-force at line of action compromises

safety, tiring process

Disaster Rescue Teams

Role: To evacuate civilians to safety and then treat them
Strength: Traversing difficult terrain and identifying points
where humans may be stuck
Difficulty: High volume of patients need evacuation, disaster
relief teams are often small in number

Environments
Deserts Mountains Swamps Debris

Battlefields and army bases in Battlefields, army bases and Regions struck by
Battlefields and army bases in earthquakes, landslides,
moderately hilly zones. regions struck by floods and
both hot and cold deserts. warzones, chemical and
tsunamis
nuclear hazards

Compact and Medical

Design Collapsible Structure Integration
Compact to navigate tight
Opportunities
Integrating vitals
spaces without detection monitoring systems. The
and collapsible for design should have a
Prospects to enhance current designs transportation. Additionally, provision for attachments
and make the concept more durable automation here will reduce (oxygen, saline)
and beneficial. required human input.

Ergonomics and Mechanical All-weather and

Inclusivity Attributes terrain friendly
The device should be able Making the device The device must be
to evacuate victims in sturdy, durable, and water-resistant, sand-
multiple positions as per reliable. resistant and functional
need. Patient safety and . in harsh climate.
comfort cannot be
compromised on.
.

Technology
Device is
Four motors of regulated Mechanics Power source:
300 rpm each through an based on Lithium-Ion
run the module Arduino Micro Rocker-Bogie Rechargeable
processor System, inspired battery and
which controls from NASA’s High Power
all the Mars Rover
Front end of the Driver module
electronics and
body climbs
mechanics
obstacles

Communicates
5.8G 600MW through LORA 5.8G UVC OTG
Rear end of the
48CH wireless Android phone
body maintains
AV transmitter Micro colour receiver
orientation of
the patient FPV camera

Task Analysis

1 2 3 4
Remote Remote but safe De-securing, unloading
Transportation of Opening the module, transportation of the and treating the
Module to Point of loading and securing patient to the point patient. Collapsing the
Evacuation the patient. of treatment module

Delay of the module Readiness of the

to commence the
operation, slow
movement during
operation.
Aggravation of injury, device to restart
Multiple complicated
appropriate speed of operations., multiple
steps and manual
movement and complicated steps
effort.
reliability of device. and manual effort.

“India has a vast variety of terrains, from scorching deserts, dense forests, high altitudes, and
chilling glaciers. It's not just the terrain that is tough, the weather is equally unforgiving. Every
place where the army is deployed has a varied story of struggle. In various operations of the
army where soldiers fight terrorists or in war, wounded soldiers need to be evacuated,
respecting the 'Golden Hour'; the time of treatment after being wounded is of utmost
importance. Every soldier is important; every drop of blood needs to be saved.
Letter from an
Medical science has advanced, and with the advent of technology, the time for treating a

Army Officer wounded soldier has reduced but the logistics get disrupted from the beginning of war.
Soldiers wear bulletproof jackets, so the most vulnerable parts are the legs.

The following constitutes a physical
transcript of an electronic message
sent to us by an Army Major who
requested to remain anonymous
due to on-duty constraints.
Bullets and mines cause limb injuries. So, a wounded soldier can rarely walk. Carrying their
comrades on their shoulders and stretchers, the battlefield staff, puts their own lives at risk
and stands by their spirit of unity. Due to the rough weather and terrain conditions, it
becomes impossible even for the helicopters to reach the site of evacuation. At times, it
takes days to get to the patient and then to the hospital and sometimes too late for any
treatment and we lose our brave men. At least two to four people are required for
evacuation of a casualty and to reach the nearest first aid post. The physical handling of the
wounded men, especially those who sustain neck and back injuries, is vital to their
survival. The creation of a remotely operated capsule to evacuate wounded soldiers from
a battlefield, would help the injured as the battlefield field nursing assistants.
If the people of our country could assist our warriors through technology, it would be an act of
great service. Looking forward to better inventions.

By a soldier. “

Interview
‘’The obvious answer to this question would be providing
medical care as early as possible. In cases of trauma, there is
something known as platinum minutes, which is the first 10
minutes following an injury. This is followed by the concept of
the golden hour, which is the first hour following trauma. At
Excerpts from an interview with a
Medical Officer in the Indian Army
impact, an individual could succumb to death due to massive
head injuries. In the first hour, the individual could die due to
airway obstruction, chest trauma, penetrating abdominal
injuries, etc.
What is the importance of
Later on, the individual could succumb to infections and
timely and effective
delayed head injuries. In the mass casualty scenario, we
medical attention for follow a triage system; casualties are divided into colour-
injured soldiers? coded categories depending on the severity of their injuries.
This triage system decides the time of evacuation and
treatment provided as it's a resource-limited situation.’’

How much manpower will it need to bring one injured soldier to an ambulance/hospital?

‘’It really depends on the resources available, manpower at hand, time constraints, weather, and distance
involved in the evacuation.’’

What are all the existing technologies involved in this? How important is a stretcher in this
regard?

‘’Scoop stretchers are valuable in conditions as they help shift patients with minimal displacement of their
injuries. Hospital-based stretchers are rarely used due to their bulky nature and difficulty manoeuvring on
unpredictable terrains.’’

And that too when the carrier soldiers are themselves injured, and the climate and terrains are
adverse?
‘’If the carrier soldiers are injured, more people would be required to address the ailment, depending on
the severity of the situation.’’

Interview

Usually, during a war, how are injured

soldiers taken to medical aid posts?
‘’In war scenarios, the injured are evacuated from
the battlefield by medically trained fellow
soldiers (BFNA - Battle Field Nursing Assistants).
Different methods, like piggyback, fireman’s lift,
etc, are employed to evacuate patients to the
nearest available ambulance. 1-2 individuals are
often required for one patient. More if the
distance to be covered is large. They are
furthermore shifted to the nearest medical
facility.’’

Interview

We know that soldiers wear bulletproof jackets when

in war, and their legs would be the most exposed parts.
How difficult will it be for fellow soldiers to carry their
mate to the nearest medical aid post and at the same
time save themselves from danger?
Conclusion 03
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the injured out of the battlefield while being aware of not
getting injured themselves. Cervical collars stabilise the
spine, and splints are used to immobilise limbs injured to
cause minimal damage during evacuation.’’

‘’It sounds interesting, but I have certain queries related to

the idea. How will the stretcher be able to maneuver around
Interview unpredictable terrains? Is it adapted to function in all
environments like desert areas, snow-laden places, and
high altitudes? Often, there are patches of water bodies
that are crossed. Will these stretchers be able to cross all
We are working on a these areas involved? So naturally, there might be times when
autonomous stretcher to the stretcher needs to be manually lifted by soldiers. Will the
reduce the manpower required wheels be adding weight to the stretchers? Is there any
provision for strapping patients onto the stretcher so they
in evacuation. What is your
don’t slip off? Can this stretcher have some ongoing
opinion about this prospect?
treatment and resuscitation provisions during the shifting
process? Is there a provision to strap on oxygen cylinders
in the stretcher?’’

Existing Solutions
The Ferno Mondial 2000

Pros Cons
Can reliably be used for patient Lacks machinery to operate in
transportation in hospital difficult terrains and conditions.
settings. Claudia Alves Needs to be manually pushed
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with lightweight
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yet durable materials.
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Has adequatePraesent
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ergonomic considerations
Has a collapsible structure.

The need for a device like the one we

are conceptualising is evident. The
existing products in the market do not
serve the purpose we intend to. Our
Conclusion success in developing the device will
depend on whether we achieve the
following:

Reliability Versatility Low Cost Compact

Design

Thank you