Identification and Significance of the Opportunity ...

Legacy products

There is a common understanding that current seating technologies are unable to adapt to the Army new standards for occupant enhanced safety and utility requirements. The existing seat products are designed to meet some of the legacy principles without addressing the new emerging threats and challenges that our soldiers are faced in the field.

Convertible EA seat system for casualty evacuation. In combat areas, medical trained or ambulance resources may temporarily not be available, therefore the convertible EA seat implementation is very instrumental in helping non-medical personnel to perform safe and effective post blast injured evacuation. Convertible EA seat system contains intuitive features to prevent any maneuvers misperception and help to expedite extraction process under apprehensive circumstances. 
Determining the severity of a casualty’s injuries and patient category can be a difficult task for non-medical personnel, therefore, convertible EA seat contains features that are commonly accepted and applied to known or suspected spinal injuries. In addition to five point restraints, system the convertible seat system contains supplementary straps to stabilize and secure injured during the evacuation process and further transfer to a litter or medical point. Securing straps are strategically designed and placed to outer seat boundary to immobilize the casualty’s head, shoulder and legs inside seating surface and protect during extraction. The seating contact surface is designed and formed to permanently support occupants head, neck, torso, pelvis and legs. The additional structural hand grip holders located on each side of the seat allows operators/bearers (two or more) to maneuver the seated injured over any obstacles, rough terrain or long distances if required. Also, the transfer to a litter can be performed with just a simple quick unfastening methods (no tools required) with seat cover fabric used to lift and place the injured directly on to the litter surface.
All seat components and materials are designed to withstand harsh environments and resistant to standard decontamination procedures for further reuse.

RED - Rapid Extraction Device

Baseline seat insertion and extraction cycle is controlled by a mechanical device that are placed in the kitted EA module. The design elements are comprised of components that are by default in self-locking position. Interconnectivity between the baseline seat and locking mechanism is accomplished via two tapered rods, collocated behind the seat backrest. The baseline seat insertion operation is done by simply pressing the two tapered rods alongside the EA kit self-guided locking mechanism. Maneuvers are performed effortlessly by a single operator in a matter of seconds, without the aid of any tools.
The mechanism release is done by one hand operation; with limited amount of effort, the entire seat separates from the EA kit for vehicle removal. Depending on the operational circumstances, if the seat is not occupied a single operator can remove/insert and carry the seat in and out of the vehicle. In the need of egress with fully belted and seated injured evacuation, two or more operators (bearers) can safely carry the baseline seat by specially designed hand grips holders ergonomically located on each side of the seat.  

The unique form improves operator’s/bearer’s maneuverability for fast egress and evacuation of seated injured. 

Overcome CHALLENGES amd OBSTACLES ...

Convertible seat unique design arrangement involved every major constituent to occupy minimal space and with a combined output for maximum seat system efficiency and best practices for CASEVAC casualty evacuation.