Pandemic-proof robotic mobility

Guaranteeing state of the art isolated transport of goods, people or medical services, the NemBot concept offers customisable solutions to a variety of non-emergency medical challenges.

Devised and conceptualised in just two months, the NemBot concept is the future of non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT). The lockdown that accompanied the corona-virus highlighted a need for smarter transport solutions, that will alleviate the need for secure and isolated transport of medical items or patients. Designed to this end, the NemBot is an electric autonomous vehicle which can be refurbished to perform highly specific tasks.

The single person-sized interior is large enough to hold a sickbed and accompanying sanitational equipment, such as a UV-disinfectant light, for an isolated and disinfected environment. It can be equipped with a cryogenic container to hold and deliver vaccines or similar medical supplies that are to be delivered in a quarantined area.

Post lockdown, the units can be re-appropriated for cargo delivery or waste collection.

The NemBot system combines the efficiency of decentralised agile autonomous vehicles for the intra-city last mile with a fixed route non-autonomous centralised convoy for larger distances.

This is possible with the NemBot’s two modalities:

• The first being independent units of mid-speed and mid-distance in fully autonomous drive mode to arrive at specific doorsteps.
• The second being the coupling into convoys of 6 NemBots driven by a high torque long-range man-driven EV to drive longer distances on fixed roads, and act a charging station for the smaller vehicles.

The concept is designed to operate in highly congested urban areas using its small size and ability to navigate tight spaces. The decentralised convoy-door-to-door approach reduces delivery times and energy usage by allowing the smaller specialized agile vehicles to cruise with an average of 20mph, compared to that of a cargo truck in NYC which is 7mph.

The compact micro-vehicle has been designed with an innovative packaging of the rear-drive-and-steer unit, to optimise the space in the front cabin and guarantee side-ways (perpendicular) parking. An adaptive hydraulic front suspension system allows easy sidewalk access to the vehicle for cargo trolleys and for medical beds or wheelchairs.

Originally published at https://manyone.com on July 10, 2020.

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