Gridlocked city streets, traffic signals and sirens become a non-issue in a design firm's conceptual plans for a drone ambulance. Argodesigns' lifelike renderings demonstrate how an ambulance made out of a drone could behave at accident scenes. Usefully, the drone could land in an area the size of a compact car, giving it the ability to bypass traffic and other obstructions in a speedy path between accident scenes and hospitals.
The vehicle would be steered by GPS and controlled remotely. On board, there's only room for the patient, so the on-scene EMT would stabilize the patient and then send them off on the drone to be received at the hospital.
The design firm churned out the idea in response to Fast Company magazine's prompt, “What one thing in the health care industry desperately needs to be redesigned, and how would you redesign it?” Their solution is fascinating because it employs the still-controversial drone technology in a futuristic, Jetsons-style approach to health care.
Although the prospect of traveling alone on a flying ambulance is still a bit disheartening from a patient standpoint, this design project proves that ever-advancing technology has the potential to be re-imagined in innovative ways to save lives.
