A Combat Robo Doc
By
Bob Brewin
Navy field corpsmen who serve with Marine units probably are the best on-the-scene trauma care specialists in the world, but there's only so much one corpsman can do on the battlefield or during a medevac.
Navy field corpsmen who serve with Marine units probably are the best on-the-scene trauma care specialists in the world, but there's only so much one corpsman can do on the battlefield or during a medevac.
To help out, the Office of Naval Research wants to see if some smart folks can develop a man-packed Automated Critical Care System, which can automatically maintain a critically injured soldier for up to three hours without human intervention.
The system should provide the kind of life support found in a hospital emergency room -- automatically dispensing oxygen and drugs. If a corpsman needs expert guidance in treating casualties, the research office wants the critical care system to be equipped with "decision assist" software to help in providing care to a patient. And the system should have the capability to consult remotely with specialists and retrieve electronic medical records.
Anyone with a good idea for the combat robo-doc needs to submit a proposal to the research office by Jan. 30, 2010.
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