Rescue Airbag

The Rescue Airbag is a search-and-rescue tool developed by Field Ready to lift heavy debris and collapsed structural material, allowing rescue teams to reach and extract people trapped beneath rubble in disaster and conflict settings. It was developed in response to the scarcity and high cost of commercial search-and-rescue equipment in areas such as northwest Syria, where collapsed buildings from bombing and infrastructure failure are a recurring hazard.

The airbag is built from locally recovered and recycled materials, including repurposed vehicle airbags, making it possible to fabricate in areas where importing specialized rescue equipment is difficult, restricted, or prohibitively expensive. Despite its low-cost, locally sourced construction, the design meets international search-and-rescue standards while being produced at roughly a 90% cost reduction compared to commercial alternatives.

In use, the airbag is placed beneath a corner or edge of a collapsed structure, such as a fallen roof or wall section, and inflated to lift and stabilize the debris, creating space

for rescuers to safely extract trapped survivors. The airbag has been credited with saving multiple lives in real deployments, including a family of four rescued from a collapsed building following a car bomb explosion near a hospital in Idlib in 2017. Since its first field use in March 2017, it has been used in more than a hundred rescue operations.

Size: The airbag must collapse to a height of less than 1.5cm to fit under debris, inflate to ~20cm, be inflatable by a standard air-compressor and resist punctures.

Purpose: In the aftermath of airstrikes, responders require heavy lifting equipment to remove large blocks of debris, which can weigh several tons.

Usage Notes: The current design can hold up to 7 tons (with a 4 x safety margin) and lift ~20cm.

How the levels are identified is based on this reference: Field Ready Readiness Levels

Risk Assessment

See the reference file of this project below.

N/A

Test Plan

See the reference file of this project below.

File:DR001 Test Plan.zip

This is the CAD and Engineering Data of the product.

You can download the files of this project below.

File:DR001 CAD Files.zip

File:DR001 Eng Dwg.zip

Field Ready develops manuals to support both the fabrication and safe use of its products. A maker manual provides step-by-step instructions for replicating the design, including materials, tools, and assembly guidance, so that makers in different locations can build the product accurately and consistently. A user manual, where applicable, explains how to properly set up, use, and maintain the product once it is built, helping ensure it performs safely and as intended for the end user. Together, these manuals make the design accessible to both fabricators and the people who ultimately rely on the product.

Maker Manual Reference: File:DR001 Maker Manual.zip

1. Field Ready, "Saving a Family Using Locally Made Airbags in War-Ravaged Idlib," October 30, 2017.
2. Field Ready Türkiye, "Making Life Saving Equipment (Lifting Airbag System)," May 6, 2016.