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Polish inventor wins humanitarian award

15.11.2023 20:30
Polish inventor Piotr Tłuszcz has garnered a special humanitarian award for his design of a medical rescue vehicle at this year's James Dyson Awards, a prestigious international competition that recognizes innovative engineering solutions.
Piotr Tłuszcz and his award-winning design.
Piotr Tłuszcz and his award-winning design.Photo courtesy of PR Hub; publicity handout

With a decade of experience in designing off-road and rescue trailers, Tłuszcz developed the Life Chariot vehicle for medical evacuation in challenging locations, and it has already assisted rescuers in Ukraine.

The Life Chariot is a modular all-terrain MEDEVAC trailer, light in weight and with suspension suitable for even the most demanding conditions.

Its design allows attachment to any vehicle with a towing hook, enhancing the effectiveness of rescue operations, and is capable of safely transporting both severely wounded individuals as well as those with minor injuries.

The inventor's inspiration stemmed from observing the challenges inherent in medical evacuation in the war in Ukraine.

The first two models of the Life Chariot, extensively tested in mountains, forests, caves, and mines, have been deployed to a Ukrainian military medical unit and a Polish battlefield rescue team.

In this year's James Dyson Awards, three main prizes were awarded: the main international award, the Sustainability Award, and the Humanitarian Award.

Sir James Dyson, the founder and chief engineer of Dyson, personally selected the winning entries. Each winning project will receive USD 40,000 for further development.

The main international award was claimed by a team from South Korea for "The Golden Capsule," an intravenous infusion device for use in natural disasters.

Meanwhile, a student team from Hong Kong won the Sustainability Award for "E-Coating," an environmentally-friendly external wall coating with cooling effects that reduce the harmful impact of air conditioning.

Commenting on this year's entries, Sir James Dyson praised the young inventors for their technology-based solutions and passion for making the world a better place. He expressed hope that the competition would help them achieve success.

Tłuszcz, a product designer based in the southern Polish city of Kraków, commented on his win, expressing the hope that the award would enable his invention to save more lives, whether in battlefield evacuations or accidents in hard-to-reach areas.

This success follows another Polish achievement, where SmartHEAL, a project by the Warsaw University of Technology, won the international stage in the 2022 James Dyson Awards.

SmartHEAL is a simple, non-invasive, and affordable diagnostic tool for chronic wounds, allowing immediate detection of pH changes related to inflammation without the need to remove a dressing.

(rt/gs)

Source: pap-mediaroom.pl