Emergency Transport Incubator
Industrial Design MFA students in the Experimental Design Studio course, led by Associate Professor Stan Rickel, innovated prototypes for an emergency transport (resuscitation kit) incubator. Design of a portable, low tech incubator will support humanitarian aid efforts aimed at reducing infant mortality in very rural regions of Honduras and improve access to neonatal medical care for some of the country’s poorest people.
Design Constraints
- Secure, safe portable structure
- Biomedical, antimicrobial grade materials
- Bed area: 30 degree incline with surrounding support(s) to secure and nestle baby in place
- Temperature maintained between 30-34 degrees Celsius (low tech)
- Humidity within safe range for preemies below 7 lbs. and less than ful-term gestational age
- Plug in to vehicle | ambulance | hospital electrical source
Universally designed
- For infant safety
- With the emergency medical features of a typical closed incubator
- With consideration for hand portability by a variety of care providers of various stature
- For use in Hospital Escuela as an emergency incubator when failures or overcrowding occurs
- As a transportable incubator for use by field clinicians in very rural conditions where electricity may not be available
Next Phase
Continue research and development of functioning prototypes for mock testing and analysis by a team of neonatologists, EMT first responders and, if possible, doctors performing rural medicine in Honduras.
Faculty
Stan Rickel, RIT Assistant Professor, Industrial Design
Mentors
Mary Golden, RIT Assistant Professor, Interior Design
Dan Phillips, RIT Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering
MFA Students
Cunzhi Huang, Industrial Design
Tyler Monica, Industrial Design
Chi Zhang, Industrial Design