Portable Rescue Sled with Embedded Rigid Plates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional evacuation sleds are inadequate for single-person operation, as they either fail to protect non-ambulatory individuals from injury during transport or are cumbersome and difficult to deploy and maneuver, leading to inefficient and delayed evacuation processes.
Innovation Solution
A portable, flexible sled system with integrated protective rigid plates and a compact, backpackable design that allows for quick deployment and secure transport of non-ambulatory persons by a single responder, featuring a Z-fold configuration and adjustable straps for secure handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional soft sleds are used, then the sled can be easily deployed and is low cost, but the non-ambulatory person is not protected from further injury during transport
Solution Approach 1:
The sled combines a flexible outer cover made of soft material with rigid protective plates (such as cardboard or plastic) embedded within the sled body. This composite structure provides both the ease of deployment associated with soft sleds and the injury protection of rigid structures, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and harm prevention.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional hard sleds are used, then the non-ambulatory person is protected from injury, but the sled is bulky and difficult to store and transport
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid protective structure is divided into multiple separate plates that can be stored individually in a compact manner. These segmented plates can be quickly assembled when needed, providing injury protection during use while minimizing storage volume when not in use, thus resolving the contradiction between protection and portability.
Solution Approach 2:
The sled transitions from a static, bulky structure to a dynamic, transformable structure that can be folded or collapsed into a compact form for storage and transport, then expanded into a rigid protective structure for use. This dynamic transformation resolves the contradiction between injury protection and storage volume.
3Reliability
If conventional sleds designed for multiple persons are used, then the non-ambulatory person can be securely transported, but a single responder cannot efficiently deploy and maneuver the sled
Solution Approach 1:
The sled design extracts and eliminates the components and mechanisms that require multiple persons to operate, such as complex lifting mechanisms or multiple handles. The remaining structure is simplified to provide secure transport through integrated straps and harnesses that can be easily managed by a single responder, resolving the contradiction between reliability and ease of operation.
4Productivity
If conventional sleds are used, then transport can be performed, but deployment is delayed and evacuation efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The sled is pre-assembled with all necessary components (protective plates, straps, harnesses) integrated into a ready-to-use configuration. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for complex assembly during emergency situations, significantly reducing deployment time and improving evacuation efficiency without compromising transport capability.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus, system and kit for transporting a non-ambulatory person comprising: a sheet assembly for enclosing the non-ambulatory person. The sheet assembly having a generally rectangular shape with sides and ends, a base layer, an upper layer, one or more straps; and a plurality of rigid plates disposed between said base and upper layers functioning to protect the non-ambulatory person being transported by a rescuer(s) from impacts, as these may occur in carrying, dragging, or otherwise moving from one location to another. A kit be configured with a satchel with quantities of sheet assemblies, which also can be varied in different sizes, and placed in the satchel, a drag harness, securing straps, and additional trauma supplies as may be required in a rescue operation.