Ambulance test bed

An ambulance fitted with a neonatal intensive care unit now serves as a mobile laboratory for testing new technologies designed for sick and premature babies. This test bed addresses a critical gap: most neonatal technologies are developed and tested in hospital settings, but the most vulnerable infants often require care during transport—from a local hospital to a specialist centre, or between wards. Equipment that works perfectly in a controlled ward may fail or behave differently inside a moving ambulance, where vibration, noise, temperature shifts, and limited space create unique challenges. Without a dedicated testing environment, these real-world problems go undetected until they affect a real patient. If this test bed proves effective, it could change how medical devices for newborns are designed and certified. Manufacturers would be able to test prototypes under realistic transport conditions before they reach clinical use, reducing the risk of equipment failure during an emergency transfer. The approach could also be extended to other patient groups—such as adults needing critical care transport—and to other emergency vehicles. The test bed is part of a wider pipeline at Nottingham that allows researchers to test technologies at every stage of the care pathway, from the ambulance to the ward.