Thiruvananthapuram: Visitors to a hospital are familiar with the sight of uniformed employees struggling to manoeuvre a rickety, creaking contraption that passes for a stretcher. In badly-maintained Government hospitals, the stretcher is often the most neglected piece of equipment.

Marked by peeling paint and wobbly wheels and squealing like an animal in distress, the stretchers in most hospitals are subjected to rough useas they pass from one set of hands to another. Now, a group of final year students of the Mary Matha Engineering College at Neyyattinkara has developed a state-of-the-art stretcher that can be remote-controlled using wireless equipment. The slick invention that was unveiled here on Saturday can also be converted into a wheelchair by turning a hand wheel to fold up the backrest.

Aided by laboratory instructor S. Syamkumar, the students Vinoba Prasannan, M. Anoop, R. Ratheesh and S. Binsu developed the stretcher as part of their final year project for the electrical engineering course. With a load capacity of 100 kg, the equipment works on two 12-volt batteries that can be charged from a 230-volt household power socket or a solar panel.

The structure

Using a wireless remote, it can be controlled from a distance of 50 metres.

The stretcher is built on a chassis made of steel pipes. The front wheels are steered by a mechanism using the modified wiper unit of a Maruti Omni and a ball and socket system.

The drive train comprises the wiper motor of a bus with new winding to increase the torque output. The transmission system uses a chain drive commonly used in cycle rickshaws.

The chassis is mounted on a set of castor wheels that together support a weight of 800 kg. A metal framework supports the cushioned bed for the patient.

Converted into a wheelchair, it can be controlled using a lever on the armrest that works as a joystick. The prototype was built at a cost of Rs.15,000.

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