All works
01 / 07Mobility2025 — 2026

GlideMK1

An emergency stretcher that turns transport into a continuous, controlled flow: a modular system — scoop stretcher, steel frame and an add-on tracked module with a mechanical arm — designed to reduce operators' physical and cognitive effort, from the intervention to hospital handover.

Project
Glide MK1
Year
2025 — 2026
Course
Mobility design
Team
Samuele Napolano, Davide Garfì
Software
Rhino, Blender, Photoshop, After Effects
Type
Emergency stretcher

Brief

Develop an object within the micromobility system that solves one or more issues emerging from a preliminary analysis of the context. The research started from the motorised stretchers on the market — Promeba, Ferno, Stryker, Port-Ele — and from technologies borrowed from defence, robotics, ergonomic seating and tracked snow vehicles.

Vision

Design a stretcher that reduces operators' physical and cognitive friction, guaranteeing continuity, control and safety — not with technology for its own sake, but by reducing human effort and raising the quality of care from the intervention to the hospital.

01 — The product

One system, two configurations

Glide MK1 comes in a standard version and in an advanced configuration with a mechanical arm and tracked module. Four values guided every choice.

  • FluidityEvery movement natural, continuous, predictable
  • ControlClear feedback, visual signals, readable mechanisms
  • SafetyReal and perceived — materials, postures, fastenings
  • ErgonomicsCorrect postures, reduced loads, assisted movements
Glide MK1 in the standard configuration on wheelsGlide MK1 with the tracked module and mechanical armTop view of Glide MK1 with the orange cushionsExploded view of the mechanical arm on the tracked base
02 — Materials

Built for critical contexts

The CMF goes for advanced solutions, chosen not only for their look but for technical performance, resistance and reliability in critical operating contexts.

  • CushionsRubberised “waffle” technical fabric
  • Support platesPolypropylene (PP)
  • ShellHigh-density polyethylene (HDPE)
  • Adjustable armsStainless steel
  • FrameStainless steel AISI 304 / 316
  • Wheels, plate, arm, tracksMetals and engineering plastics
Exploded view of Glide MK1: cushions, support plates, shell, frame, mounting plate, arm and tracked module
03 — The modules

Three modules, one movement

  1. Module 01: the scoop stretcher with orange cushions
    01

    Scoop stretcher

    Ergonomic cushions adjustable with butterfly arms, set in a structure integrated into the main shell. Cobra buckles fix it to the frame in seconds.

  2. Module 02: the steel frame of the stretcher
    02

    Frame

    The main structure: a steel frame carrying the auxiliary wheels and the mounting plate for the tracked module.

  3. Module 03: mechanical arm on the tracked base
    03

    Arm & tracks

    Slide-mounted add-on: a hydraulic arm with gyroscope keeps the patient parallel to the steps, on tracks for sand, snow, rock and mud.

Details

Made to be used in a hurry

Drag or scroll sideways
Removable cushions in rubberised waffle technical fabric
Waffle fabric — removable and easy to clean
Cobra buckle fixing the scoop stretcher to the frame
Cobra buckle — military-grade quick release
Hand operating the one-handed wheel quick release
Wheel quick release — one hand, no tools
Controller with display mounted on the frame
Controller for the tracked module
Close-up of the tracked base
Tracks — sand, snow, rock and mud
Close-up of an ergonomic orange cushion
Ergonomic cushion
Auxiliary wheel and folding leg of the frame
Auxiliary wheels
In plan

The modules from above

Line drawing of the scoop stretcher from aboveLine drawing of the frame from aboveLine drawing of the tracked module from above