Medical Transportation Device Proposal

7/31/2019 Medical Transportation Device Proposal

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Proposal Summary:

My proposal for a medical transportation device will be demonstrated in the

following proposal through the use of both drawings as well as written descriptions.

In brief, my rescue device is an apparatus which can be worn by the rescuer as abackpack is worn with typical backpack straps. On the other side, the person to be

rescued will be attached in a very similar fashion, almost as if he were wearing a

backpack himself.

The person will be secured with three methods:

The backpack straps will include extensions with steel roller buckleswhich will firmly hold both the abdominal area and optionally the neck

area to guard against spinal injuries.

The backpack straps will have a buckle like fastener. The body of the person from the lower abdomen downwards will be

secured by a fold-out hammock-like device which can be secured around

the persons mid thigh and feet areas with the use of steel roller buckles.

Once attached to the device, the rescuer will wear the device like a backpack and

be on his way.


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Concept Drawings:

In this section, drawings will be presented to demonstrate the use and concept of

my medical transportation device.

In the figure above, the blue quadrilateral type shape is the back of the backpack

on which the other parts of the device will be attached on.

The figure on the right above is the hammocking structure which will beattached to the back of the backpack, right on top of the blue surface shown above. It is

shown above in its folded form.

Figure1


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The figure above shows the hammocking structure both in its folded as well as

its extended forms. It will be composed of four sections, which can be folded up as

shown on the left for compactness. The top three segments of the hammock above will

each be composed of two pieces of lightweight metal on each side, with a tough mesh

cloth joining them together for the middle two segments (the cloth is colored variousshades of gray to distinguish one segment from another). The upper most segment,

colored black, will be made of thin foam like material. The bottom most segment,

shown above in the lightest shade of gray, will be composed of a sturdy but lightweight

plastic, as it will be dragging along the ground.

Figure2


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The figure above demonstrates 2 out of the 3 methods of securing the rescued

person mentioned in the proposal summary above.

The light gray background quadrilateral shown in the figure above is the top

most segment of the hammocking structure which was shown on the immediatelyprevious figure on the previous page (the black segment from that figure). This is the

segment on which the apparatus shown above is secured. We will call this segment the

background in this image.

The dark green section in the middle is a stiff plastic structure which is firmly

embedded in the background. This is to ensure that the spine and neck can be properly

stabilized.

The black filled in structures shown immediately above and below the green

structure are two thin foam structures which are also sewn onto the background. Theupper foam structure will end up behind the rescued persons neck, and the lower foam

structure will be behind the persons middle back area.

Extending on either side of the two black filled structures (the sewn on foam) are

two extensions, which are straps which will be used to secure the persons neck and

upper abdomen. One side of the straps will have a steel roller through which the other

Figure3


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side of the straps will fit in. Tightening of the straps can occur very quickly, after which

the straps will secured with Velcro. Velcro will be present on the straps which are

shown on the left hand side of the figure above, while the steel rollers are present on the

straps on the right hand side of the figure above.

The blue straps shown in the figure above are equivalent of backpack straps. The

backpack straps are attached to the neck and abdomen fastening straps described in the

previous paragraph, and they will fit over the rescued person exactly like regular

backpack straps will. A buckle fastener, represented by the small red extensions on

each side of the back straps, can be attached to further secure the person.

The use of steel rollers with Velcro are superior to the use of regular buckle

fasteners, because there is only one step required to secure the straps. However, with

the buckle fasteners, there are two steps required: First, one must clip the buckle.

Second, one must adjust the straps. Both of these steps are completed in one step forthe steel roller buckle system.


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The figure above displays the two additional straps on the hammocking portion

of the transport device. The topmost strap shown above will go over and secure the

mid-thigh region, while the lower strap will go over the ankle region.

Figure4


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The figure above shows the side which the rescuer will be wearing. All the

straps and hammocking like material which were presented above are on the opposite

side.

The figure above shows two regular backpack straps which are adjustable. In

addition, they show a buckle which can be fastened around the level of the sternum for

additional security.

At the top of the backpack straps will be a place to attach a carabineer or other

device in order to lift the injured person to a helicopter. The carabineer can be attached

to a space between the heavy duty strap shown at the top of the backpack straps which

connects the two together.

Attachment for

Carabineer

Figure5


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How the Device will be closed for compactness:

The figure above shows the method of folding and securing the medical

transportation device for compactness. As seen in the figure on the left, the first step is

to refold the hammocking portion of the device. The backpack like straps, as well as the

extension straps to hold the patients abdomen and neck are secured inside simply by

closing those straps as if you were securing a person. Then, the hammocking portion is

folded back up.

Next, the straps which are used to secure the ankle area remain on the outside as

seen in the illustration. Simply fold the entire device down the middle so that the

backpack straps worn by the rescuer are innermost. Then, fasten the extension straps

from the ankle area to secure the entire device and prevent it from opening. The

completely folded device should look like the illustration on the right in the figure

above.

When folding the device, the straps shown above can be threaded through

something to secure the device in place, such as to a dogs collar or halter or anotherpack.

Figure6


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Technical Requirements

Some of the technical requirements (1-8) required for proposal submission have been

addressed in the text and drawings above. The ones that have not been will be

addressed here.

Collapsible. The device is collapsible as shown in the last figure above. Theestimated thickness of the folded device is 3-4 inches. The estimated height andwidth are about 10 inches by 1.5 feet.

Lightweight. The weight of the system is estimated to be less than 8 poundsbased on the materials which are used in the construction and costs section.

Strong. The device can easily be constructed to carry one person, weighingbetween 250 400 pounds. Some of the strong materials which will be used forthis device will be addressed in the next section.

Lift-to-evacuate. the injured person can be lifted in a vertical fashion using acarabineer or other similar device as shown and explained in the drawingsabove.

Robust to bumps and vibration. the injured person will not feel the bumps andvibrations except for in the area of the feet and lower legs. This is because onlythe last segment of the hammocking structure will actually contact the ground.The rest of the persons body and the transportation device will not touch theground.

Traverses rough terrain. Only the persons feet and lower legs will touch theground. Rough terrain will not harm the injured person.

Nice to Have Qualities:

Points regarding the nice to have qualities which have not already been addressed will

be addressed here.

Head and neck support. The device provides a wraparound support for the neckas shown on the drawings above. A steel roller buckle is used to secure the foamsupport around the injured persons neck.

Thermal management for injured person. Regarding thermal management, thisdevice will not develop hot spots except for possibly in the area of the feet, asthat is the only area which will drag along the ground.

Ballistic protection The cloth that is used in the hammocking portion of thedevice has some ballistic protection capability as detailed in the next section.


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Construction Materials and their Cost:

The construction of the device concept in this proposal can be variable based onavailable materials and the desired degree of ballistic protection, durability, size, etc.In addition, the total cost will be determined by both the material costs as well asmanufacturing, marketing, supply and demand for the product, etc. As a result, I donthave a total cost for my design concept. I will address a few key aspects of thematerials costs in this section, and an estimated total cost for the rescue device materialsthat are listed.

Extension Straps:

There are four total extension straps that are required for this device. 2 to secure

the upper abdomen and neck (Figure 3) and two for the mid thigh and ankle (figure 4).

The bottom three straps will be constructed in similar fashion, and the top strapfor the neck will created of a foam like material for neck stability.

The steel rollers for all four straps will be required. They will look like thefollowing:

Price: Not Found. Possible source: Similar rollers are found on Harbinger weightlifting belts.

Fabric for Hammocking structure:

The thick and durable fabric mesh which will be required to form thehammocking structure can be created from almost anything. Even certain fabrics from


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department stores may be suitable. However, I have suggested a fabric which will

provide some ballistic protection.

Price: $20 per yard. Total Required: 2; Total Price: $40

Possible Source:http://ahh.biz/fabric/heavy/ballistic_nylon_fabric_1050_denier.htm

Plastic segment:

The bottommost segment of the hammocking portion of the device is constructedof a durable yet flexible plastic (figure 2). This is also the segment that has the extensionstraps which secure the ankle area, as well as which can be used to secure the device inthe folded compact form.

The plastic segment will be constructed from EZ Glide UHMW polyethylene.This plastic has a very smooth surface and will decrease friction as its being draggedalong the ground.


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This is a picture of polyethylene sheeting which can be melted down and moldedinto the desired shape for the plastic segment.

Price: Less than $10 (minimum price for sheet is $10 from source).

Source:http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23869&clickid=redirect

I am not familiar with the methods to produce an EZ glide like surface frompolyethylene plastic. However, one source for the methodology would be a skatingrink manufacturing company: http://www.ezglide350.com/products.php

In addition to the last segment of the hammocking portion of the device, the

polyethylene can also be used to form the somewhat stiff backbone which is shown ingreen in figure 3 above. We can estimate that this will require an additional $10 for onesheet.


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Backpack straps:

Two sets of backpack straps will be required for this device. One set will be justnormal straps which will be worn by the rescuer. The other set will be normal strapswhich will have to be modified a bit and sewn with the extension straps, as shown in

Figure 3.

The straps shown above are one example which can be used and modified forboth the rescuer and the injured patient.

Price: $43. Requirements: 2. Total Price: $86

Possible Source: http://www.rei.com/product/764591/osprey-bioform-ax-shoulder-harness

Aluminum backbone for hammocking Portion:

Figure 2 shows the hammocking portion of the medical transportation device.As seen, there are three segments (excluding the final plastic segment) which have

fabric which joins together two metal shafts on each side. Thus, each segment requiresballistic fabric (addressed above), and the outer two metal shafts for support.


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This Figure shows an example of an aluminum tube. The ideal diameter of thetubing would be about . Several choices are available. One source is as follows:http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/Tubing-4NRZ9?Pid=search

We would require about 12 feet of tubing (6 feet for each side) total, which wouldcost $20 for 2 6 foot pieces of tubing.


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Foam/Cloth Backing

In Figure 1, the blue quadrilateral shown on the left hand side of the figurerepresents the backing that is required to attach the rest of the material onto. This isalso the part which separates the torso of the rescuer from the head and torso of the

injured patient. For this, we will require a few different type of materials which aredetailed as follows:

This figure shows a very heavy duty cotton canvas which will be required to sewand attach on the hammocking portion of the device, the backpack straps, as well as therest of the neck and abdomen stabilization gear. We will require two sheets of this, onefor attachment of the backpack straps the rescuer will wear, and one for the backpack

straps, hammocking apparatus, and stabilization straps for the injured patient.

Price: $18 per yard. Requirements: 2 yards. Total: $36.

Possible Source:http://ahh.biz/canvas/cotton_canvas_fabric_natural_no_02.htm


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This figure shows military vinyl, which will be added in between the two cottoncanvas layers for sturdiness and stability. We will cut the vinyl into long strips of 1 inwidth by the full length. The canvas material will be sewn on either side of every stripto keep the military vinyl in place. The purpose of having the vinyl cut is to ensure easeof folding for compactness.

Price of military vinyl: $14/yard. Requirements: 1 yard; Total price: $14

Possible Source: http://ahh.biz/vinyl/vinyl_general_purpose_military.html

Total Price for All Materials Cited Above:

The total cost for all the materials that are cited above is: $216.

Additional materials for which prices were not found must be added.


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Limitations of Design:

Weight Limits: Weight limits will be dependent on the strength of the rescuerand the strength of the device materials. Materials used may be exchanged for

more sturdy materials as desired and based on costs.

The device in this proposal will hold a person who is a maximum of about 7 feettall. However, this can be adjusted with different lengths of aluminum tubing

and ballistic fabric lengths.

The primary way this device may fail is if the rescuer is not able to maneuverwith the rescue device strapped to him. In some ways, this device makes the

rescuer more maneuverable, as the injured person is not completely on the

ground. However, this also means that the body of the rescuer is not able to

twist and turn as may be needed to travel to safety.

The injured person will not be flat on the ground, but higher up in the air, and asa result may be more likely to be injured due to bullets and shrapnel. This may

be mitigated to some degree by the ballistic fabric utilized in the construction of

the hammocking apparatus.

The Velcro extension straps used to secure the injured person at the neck,abdomen, mid thigh, and ankles may fail and open, causing instability of the

injured person.

The neck extension straps are to be tied only for support purposes. These mayend up pulling on the persons neck if the abdominal support straps fail. This

may be mitigated by having a Velcro system where the neck straps areunattached from the transport device. Once this is done, the neck straps are only

attached to the injured persons neck and no longer to the transport device.

Medical Transportation Device Proposal

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