Faraz Iqbal | Mechanical Engineer

In accordance with the BU College of Engineering theme of “Creating the Societal Engineer”, Professor Greg Blonder introduced the concept of a gurney that can traverse stairs and rubble in emergency situations while being able to support 300 pounds. The student group proposed a prototype that was inspired by military tanks, as they are designed to be able to traverse rugged terrain with ease. Locking mechanisms are used to keep the stretcher on the gurney which can also allow for easy removal if necessary. The gurney itself uses a caterpillar track to traverse terrain. The prototype is manually operated, but the end goal would be to motorize the gurney so that it can reach places where emergency personnel may not be able to get to. The prototype was not successful due to the expensive and complex design. As seen in the pictures above, budget constraints prevented the completion of a fully-functioning prototype. However, future iterations and further research may lead to a much more cost-friendly solution.

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This project was completed in my junior year at Boston University for a product design course. While I was disappointed in being unable to produce a fully-functioning, working prototype, I was able to appreciate how difficult projects can become when the biggest constraint is the budget. Further, the group as a whole tended to lean towards very ambitious concepts, and when this occurs, considering practicality becomes even more important in the early design stages.  Being able to find the balance between novelty and practicality is crucial to the success in designing a new product.