Intelligent and Soft Computing Systems for Green Energy

14Automatic Angular Position Stabilization of Ambulance Stretcher in Real Time

Vedant Joshi, Maheshwari S. and Kathirvelan J.*

Master of Technology in “IoT and Sensor Systems”, Department of Sensors & Bio-Medical Technology, School of Electronics Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, India

Abstract

Ambulances are widely used to transport patients injured in road accidents, and other emergency cases, etc. Due to rough road conditions these patients experience discomfort as the angle of the stretcher deviates from its original position, which makes the condition of the patient even worse. In this paper, an ambulance stretcher mechanism has been proposed which reduces the angular deviation. The idea is to use an Inertial Measurement Unit sensor which will detect the change in stretcher angle in two major axes, pitch and roll, and actuate the servo motors to bring the stretcher back to the desired position in real time. This makes the system an open-loop controlled system which stabilizes the angular tilt of the ambulance stretcher in real time.

Keywords: Ambulance, stretcher, inertial measurement unit, servo motor, stabilize, pitch, roll

14.1 Introduction

Ambulance transport is uncomfortable for a patient with moderate to severe injuries, considering two scenarios: linear vibrations and angular displacement of the stretcher. Along with the linear vibrations that the patient experiences, in some rare road conditions the ambulance is tilted for a brief amount ...