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The ambulance of the future
06 April 2009
Concept cars showing the ambulance of the future are being shown at a Royal College of Art (RCA) exhibition in London.
The exhibition, called 'Healthcare on the Move', features a series of scale models that envisage the next generation of ambulances.
The new ambulance concepts have been designed by students studying for a masters in vehicle design at the RCA. They were briefed to incorporate all the technology required to meet the increasingly specialised training of mobile healthcare professionals.
Among the concepts featured in the exhibition are quick response units that can get early treatment to the scene of an emergency before the arrival of a slower-moving support unit, off-road vehicles that can be turned into semi-permanent treatment rooms, and full-blown mobile clinics.
Outlined below are some of the concept cars on display:
Shell Concept
The Shell Concept (pictured above), by Rui Guo, is an urgent response vehicle, albeit one intended to be highly equipped and capable of dealing with a large number of emergencies on scene. As a result, the need to be able to transport patients to hospital at high speed is removed. The really clever bit about the Shell Concept is that it has an outer jacket – or shell – which can be removed to create a semi-permanent treatment room.
Ladybird Concept
David Seesing’s Ladybird Concept is an off-road mobile treatment unit with a collapsible, tent-like rigid canopy. It is designed to allow complex and time-consuming treatments to be carried out in the most inaccessible areas, such as isolated rural communities or national parks.
Morphing Interior Concept
The Morphing Interior Concept is designed to be capable of an almost infinite number of interior layouts, thanks to its flexible space. Designed by Miika Heikkinen, it makes use of ultra-thin flexible displays and portable video units.
Matt Rigby
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