Williams Advanced Engineering has utilised Formula 1 technology to help protect infants in need of emergency transportation.
The new transportation devices are made of carbon fibre and can withstand impacts of up to 20G. They have also been brought into use with the Great Ormand Street Hospital being run by the Child Acute Transportation Service.
When transporting new-born or unwell children, there has always been a need for an incubator which can be heavy, awkward to manoeuvre and is often in need of electricity which is not always available.
The Babypod 20 has been designed to provide the environment that a baby needs at a significantly reduced price of a standard transport incubator. It’s lightweight, easy to handle and can also attach to any transport stretcher whether on a trolley or in an ambulance, car or even helicopter.
Speaking about the project, Craig Wilson, managing director of Williams Advanced Engineering, commented: “The parallels between a Formula 1 car and transport device for babies may not be immediately apparent, but both demand a lightweight and strong structure that keeps the occupant safe in the event of an accident, and can monitor vital signs whilst remaining easily transportable and accessible.
“We have taken the existing Babypod product and worked with AHT to create a device that is not only more compact and user-friendly but, crucially, can be scaled up in its production so that more hospitals can benefit from this Formula 1-inspired technology.”
Advanced Healthcare Technology made contact with Williams Advanced Engineering in 2015 to help design a variant on their Babypod product that would fully incorporate F1 design characteristics and materials.
Williams has also significantly changed the design to reduce the weight and improve the crash test results of the Babypod. This includes improved accessibility with a slide and tilt mechanism to give greater ease of access for hospital staff.
The building of the Babypod 20 will take place at Williams’ headquarters in Grove, and will utilise the same resources used to make the company’s F1 cars each season.
Crucially, Williams’ extensive experience in working with carbon fibre, and its strong supplier network allowing for a significant increase in the number of Babypod’s produced each year. This will mean that more hospitals and ultimately more new-borns will be able to benefit from this technology.
Eithne Polke, the operational manager/retrieval coordinator for Children’s Acute Transport Service (CATS), has been part of the team working with Babypod 20 at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
When asked about the Babypod, she said: “The CATS team control around 50% of London’s emergency movements, so fast and efficient transportation in these situations is vitally important to saving lives.
“The new Babypod has an adapted design that allows for greater flexibility and manoeuvrability when moving critically ill infants from one mode of transport to another.
“Not only is the environment controlled at a constant temperature, but the visual opportunity afforded by the redesigned cover allows the baby to be constantly monitored and for better accessibility.
“Overall, we’re delighted with the updated Babypod design and safety features and believe it has made a big difference to our transportation processes.”
