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Compact and stable, AmbiCycle can evacuate patients from at-risk areas

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From small villages with long dirt roads to crowded cities with traffic at a standstill, maneuvering today’s ambulance during an emergency simply may not be an option. But promptly reaching patients to treat them effectively is nonnegotiable.

That’s where the AmbiCycle™ comes in. An alternative compact transportation device specifically designed to transport patients from the scene to the hospital, the AmbiCycle™ is about the width of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, nine feet long and has three wheels.

Mark Benden, associate professor at the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Public Health, and Eric Wilke, medical director at the College Station Fire Department, began design efforts on the AmbiCycle™ in the summer of 2008. During a volunteer medical trip to Uganda a few months earlier, Wilke saw a need for an emergency transportation vehicle that could navigate crowded and narrow streets in rural areas.

“Unlike traditional ambulances, the AmbiCycle™ becomes more stable to drive once a patient is loaded,” said Benden. “Other emergency vehicles have the opposite effect.”

Due to its compact body, the AmbiCycle™ has more stability, allowing the driver and patient to be on the same plane and maintain visual contact. This small device is designed to evacuate patients from areas at risk, damaged by storms, and under heavy traffic with inadequate emergency medical services.

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