Description:
The ROOMBA MEDEVAC is a compact robot whose primary function is to aid injured individuals in relocation and basic medical care. GPS Geolocation is used to assess the changing elevations and natural barriers of the area and determine the robot’s best path to a safe base through AI capabilities. The robot is equipped with two sharp claw-like arms which are able to pierce the terrain and drag forward, similar to the function of the wheels on a commercial ROOMBA device. The ROOMBA MEDEVAC features a built-in compartment in the back which can be filled with necessary supplies that the injured individual can use to administer self-care. A rope system is ingrained into the body of the robot, and can be used to “lasso” the injured individual for retrieval.
Analysis:
In any casualty incident, whether it be a natural disaster, terrorist attack, or warfare, there exists an observable act of transporting the injured to a given “safe base” or site of care. These could be hospitals equipped with medical devices, military bases with skilled medics, or simply a given area where the threat is no longer perceived as life-threatening. Often times, the act of moving the injured is very dangerous for the rescuer, as the site of injury is typically very dangerous.
With the ROOMBA MEDEVAC, rescuers will no longer need to risk harming themselves in the act of retrieving the injured. This allows for the type of care to switch from “Care under fire,” when the rescuer and the injured are both under fire and care may be limited, to “Tactical Care,” where the rescuer and the injured are in a protected or safe environment and the rescuer is free to provide care.
Furthermore, the compartment within the ROOMBA MEDEVAC allows for additional first aid equipment to be dropped off to the injured, allowing for them to administer “self aid” (the injured soldier treating himself) in the meantime between point of injury and point of care or “buddy aid” (the injured soldier being treated by a fellow soldier).
