Safe Ride Standards for Autonomous Casualty Transport: Internal Organ Protection
Abstract
The proposed project aims to develop #Safe Ride Standards# for autonomous casualty transport with a focus on protecting internal organs from the mechanical forces encountered during evacuation, such as acceleration, deceleration, and vibration. Autonomous casualty transport offers the advantage of rapid and efficient evacuation of injured personnel, but it also presents new risks, especially the potential for worsening internal injuries during transport over uneven terrain or at high speeds. To address this critical gap, the research seeks to establish quantitative safety guidelines that ensure internal organs, such as the liver, kidneys, and spleen, are protected from exacerbation of existing injuries or the risk of new injuries caused by external forces. The research is structured around three key thrusts. The first thrust involves quantifying fundamental injury mechanisms, focusing on two types of damage: the growth of existing lacerations and the displacement of fractures that lead to punctures in surrounding tissues. These investigations will use fresh animal tissue to replicate the real-world mechanics of these injuries. The second thrust will extend this work bystudying these injury mechanisms within 3D-printed anatomical environments that mimic the human torso. These models will allow for the study of how injuries evolve in realistic conditions, including the interaction of organs with surrounding tissues. The third thrust will focus on integrating the data gathered into computational models to predict injury risks and develop the final Safe Ride Standards. These models will simulate a wide range of transport scenarios and injury mechanisms, producing guidelines for acceptable force and vibration thresholds during casualty transport. The outcome of this project will be a comprehensive set of standards that can be integrated into autonomous transport systems, providing the U.S. Navy with actionable guidelines to enhance casualty evacuation safety. By mitigating transport-induced injury risks, these standards will not only improve medical outcomes for injured personnel but will also increase the operational effectiveness of autonomous systems in combat or field operations. Additionally, this project will contribute to the Navy s long-term goal of safely integrating autonomous systems into its logistical and medical response protocols. The expected deliverables include peer-reviewed publications, validated computational models, and a set of Safe Ride Standards that delineate safe from unsafe transport parameters. The research will be conducted over a three-year period, with funding support from the Naval Force Health Protection Program. Approved for public release.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Apr 10, 2025
- Source ID
- N000142512216
Entities
People
- Manuel K Rausch
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of Texas at Austin