Auto Balancing Ambulance Stretcher with Active Control to Mitigate the Discomfort of the Patient

Abstract

During a medical emergency, the time taken to transport a critically ill or injured patient to the closest medical centre is a key factor determining the life and death of the patient. Although the current ambulances have attained the capability of passenger transport at a higher rate, the inability of the same designs to cater to the level of comfort during this journey has led to an increase in the mortality rates. The solutions for the above problem are either to build an ambulance, or to improve the design aspects of the stretcher, in order to ensure the required level of comfort to the critical patient. This study suggests a stretcher design capable of three degrees of freedom, which is used to counteract the discomfort caused by centrifugal accelerations and vibrations. The tests conducted have proven the capability of the stretcher to reduce the vibrational effect experienced by the subject by 58%, while bringing the maximum vibration well below 2Hz, the effect due to inertial accelerations by 92%, and effect due to centrifugal acceleration by 88%. Considering the ergonomic characteristics and lower cost associated, the suggested design shows feasibility of using the apparatus in developing countries like Sri Lanka.