G4 Patient Lift

The G4 Patient Lift is a sling device that can be fully operated by the patient, as long as the patient is capable of using their hands. It comes with a number of safety features that prevent the patient from accidentally operating the device in an unsafe manner. These features include:

• Collision Detection. The G4 Patient Lift can detect objects in the way of the patient and stop the patient from moving before they hit the object.
• Surface Detection. The G4 Patient Lift can detect surfaces below the patient and identify surfaces that are safe to lower the patient onto. These include flat surfaces such as beds, chairs, and trolleys. The G4 Patient Lift will never lower a patient onto an unsafe surface, or even onto the edge of a safe surface. It does this by measuring the distance to the floor using infrared distance sensors. As it moves, it saves each measurement into its internal memory. It then uses these measurements to determine safe areas for the patient to land. The diagram below shows green measurements which represent safe areas, and red measurements which represent unsafe areas.
  
  
  
  
• System Diagnostics. The G4 Patient Lift comes with full system diagnostics to detect if the device is not behaving as expected. This means that if anything goes wrong, such as the sling getting caught or an internal device failure, then the device will immediately stop moving and automatically call a nurse.

Plans for the Future

In addition to the above features, some other components are necessary in order to make the patient sling to be fully operated by the patient.

• A modified sling design. The sling cannot put itself on the patient. Normally, a nurse would put the sling under the patient by rolling the patient back and forth on the bed. To avoid this, a new sling must be designed that can double as a bedsheet. This sling would be smaller than a normal bedsheet but comfortable enough to lay on.