Serving those who serve on the front lines of emergencies.
FRONT — First Responders Operations Needs & Technology — is a student-led project team designing and testing low-cost, practical tools that improve health and outcomes during emergencies, focused on the moments that matter most: from the incident to arrival at definitive care.
// Mission
Closing the gap between the incident and definitive care.
FRONT aims to serve those who serve on the front lines of emergencies and public safety in underserved communities by fostering innovation, collaboration, and purposeful action. In many regions, hospitals and communication systems exist — yet the incident-to-hospital pathway is ineffective due to constraints in equipment, training, transport, and supply.
Delays in triage, stabilization, and transport can turn treatable problems into life-threatening emergencies. We design low-cost, practical solutions that support safer emergency care before patients reach the trauma bay.
Communities we are exploring
- Kenya
- Ghana
- Nigeria
- India
- Indonesia
Resource-constrained settings where early emergency care happens with limited supplies, equipment, and unreliable transport — exactly where minutes matter most.
// Our approach
Three pillars that guide our innovation
Every FRONT project is shaped by the interplay of these teams — clinical insight informing engineering, and business sustaining the mission.
Engineering
Spearheads the design and development of equipment — researching, modeling, testing, and manufacturing to guide our innovations through the full product life cycle.
Business
Responsible for all aspects of finance and publicity, ensuring FRONT's initiatives are funded and effectively communicated.
Health & Human Factors
Ensures our solutions are medically informed and accurate, working directly with first responders, trauma physicians, and clinical experts to ground every project in real emergency-medicine needs.
// The need
Challenges we focus on
In resource-constrained settings, these are the failure points that turn treatable problems into emergencies before a patient ever reaches the hospital.
Infection & contamination risk
Field care and transport carried out without adequate PPE, sanitation equipment, or hemorrhage-control supplies.
Respiratory complications
Smoke, dust, and chemical exposure with no reliable oxygen delivery or basic airway support.
Heat stress & cardiac strain
Responders face heat and exertion during transport with limited cooling, hydration access, and ventilation gear.
Obstetric emergencies
Postpartum hemorrhage and eclampsia, where delayed communication and triage can be life-threatening.
// What we build
Current project ideas
Concepts in exploration — each designed to be low-cost, practical, and field-ready for the realities of prehospital care.
Solar-Powered Backpack
A durable, weather-resistant pack integrated with flexible solar panels, providing a reliable power source for charging critical medical or communication devices in the field.
Collapsible UV-C Sterilization Box
A foldable disinfection chamber that uses high-intensity UV-C light to sterilize reusable medical tools and equipment on site.
Emergency Heating Blanket
A high-efficiency, insulated thermal blanket designed to prevent hypothermia in trauma patients across remote, off-grid environments.
// Request for collaboration
We're seeking the insight of health professionals
If you work in, support, or study prehospital and emergency care in underserved settings, your clinical experience is invaluable in helping us understand the demands, limitations, and risks of emergency response work.
Interviews
Short meetings with trauma, emergency, or occupational-health professionals to map the incident-to-hospital pathway and identify the most solvable gaps. These conversations help us identify:
- Key failure points before hospital arrival
- What tools and equipment are lacking
- Cleaning, reuse, storage, heat, and transport constraints
- Medical and environmental factors behind common injuries
- Who actually performs care: responders, volunteers, clinic staff, drivers
Feedback & Guidance
Review design concepts, prototypes, or prevention strategies and provide feedback on safety and clinical relevance. We'd also welcome connections to local responders, clinics, or community groups for the purpose of intake, implementation, and impact.
Next steps
We'd be happy to schedule a meeting or call at your convenience to discuss how we can work together to support first responders.
michiganfront@gmail.com// Join the team
Become part of FRONT.
We're a student-led project team at the University of Michigan. Whether you code, design, research, or organize, there's a place for you on the team. Apply through our interest form to get involved.
Build real solutions
Prototype technology and equipment that addresses genuine prehospital care gaps.
Cross-disciplinary team
Work alongside students in engineering, business, health, and human factors.
Make an impact
Support first responders and communities on the front lines of emergencies.
// FAQ
Questions, answered
First Responders Operations Needs and Technology — a rising, student-led project team at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
We focus on the part of emergency care where minutes matter most: what happens from the incident to arrival at definitive care, especially in underserved and resource-constrained communities.
Students across engineering, business, and health disciplines contribute through our three pillars. We also collaborate with trauma, emergency, and occupational-health professionals who lend clinical insight.
Through short interviews to map the incident-to-hospital pathway, and — if interested — longer-term feedback on design concepts and connections to local responders, clinics, or community groups.