Conceptual Design of a Personal Propulsion Unit for Rapidly Accessing Remote Trauma Patients

Patient mortality increases over 14% and the prognosis for a full-recovery decreases an additional 21% when definitive medical care is provided after the first hour of suffering traumatic injuries. Most trauma patients receive such care within 60 minutes of injury onset, referred to as the ‘golden hour’; however, trauma patients injured in wilderness areas may not receive this care for an hour or more due to difficulty accessing them across rugged, dense terrain. To address this issue, “The Jetsons!” team designed a 288 kg all-electric Personal Propulsion Unit (PPU) capable of transporting a single 111 kg medic-pilot with 23 kg of medical supplies to trauma patients injured in remote wilderness locations. The device is designed to fly for just under 45 minutes over a nearly half-kilometer range, operated by two hand controllers for motor thrust and directional control. The device is constructed principally of carbon-fiber tubular components, and utilizes 12 solid state lithium-ion batteries to power six 91 kg thrust electric motors that produce a forward velocity of 45 meters-per-second (m/s). The mature technical readiness level of the batteries ensures safe and reliable operation for use in extreme environments. Safety is further enhanced through propeller guards, redundant electronics for powering the motors, hands-free communications, pilot crash-resistant head gear and five-point safety harness, and a landing system that a 0.9-meter drop test simulation showed would generate a maximum stress of less than half of the ultimate tensile strength of the landing system design limit. Economic analysis was completed to show that the PPU device is a financially feasible endeavor, one that will be a priceless and cost-effective lifesaving tool for wilderness first responders. The following link is to an introductory video of our project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhJ21gdQDsk