|
|
|
|
|
29 September 2023
|
Technology: The robot stretcher drone saving lives on Ukraine’s battlefields
|
|
A crowd-funded remote-controlled mechanical stretcher invented by a toy designer is now evacuating injured Ukrainian soldiers from the front lines. Ukraine’s ministry of defence said that the stretcher mounted on small tracks can carry up to 150kg over rough terrain, with its controller able to operate it safely from a distance of 100 metres.
The mechanical stretcher has significantly improved the safety of evacuating injured soldiers.
It quoted a Ukrainian combat medic as saying that the mechanical stretcher made it far safer to evacuate injured soldiers under fire. “You can’t carry anything quickly when everything is exploding around you,” the soldier, identified by his call-sign Kylm, told the armyinform.com.ua website as he described that an evacuation using a hand-carried stretcher moved at around one mile an hour, which poses additional risks in a warzone where explosions are frequent.
The main advantage of this mechanical stretcher is its ability to reduce the size of the evacuation team from seven men to just two or three. This innovation was born when Kylm contacted a friend who used to make toy radio-controlled tanks. The friend reoriented and developed the stretchers, which were funded by volunteers. With a price tag of 70 000 hryvnias (£1 500), the stretchers were delivered within two weeks.
In addition to reducing the number of personnel required for evacuations, these mechanical stretchers are harder for enemy reconnaissance to detect due to their low profile and can be adapted to deliver ammunition and water to the front lines. The Ukrainian ministry of defence has already deployed these stretchers with the 125th Territorial Defence Brigade and has plans to acquire more in the future.
Source: The Telegraph
The mechanical stretcher has significantly improved the safety of evacuating injured soldiers.
It quoted a Ukrainian combat medic as saying that the mechanical stretcher made it far safer to evacuate injured soldiers under fire. “You can’t carry anything quickly when everything is exploding around you,” the soldier, identified by his call-sign Kylm, told the armyinform.com.ua website as he described that an evacuation using a hand-carried stretcher moved at around one mile an hour, which poses additional risks in a warzone where explosions are frequent.
The main advantage of this mechanical stretcher is its ability to reduce the size of the evacuation team from seven men to just two or three. This innovation was born when Kylm contacted a friend who used to make toy radio-controlled tanks. The friend reoriented and developed the stretchers, which were funded by volunteers. With a price tag of 70 000 hryvnias (£1 500), the stretchers were delivered within two weeks.
In addition to reducing the number of personnel required for evacuations, these mechanical stretchers are harder for enemy reconnaissance to detect due to their low profile and can be adapted to deliver ammunition and water to the front lines. The Ukrainian ministry of defence has already deployed these stretchers with the 125th Territorial Defence Brigade and has plans to acquire more in the future.
Source: The Telegraph