Medical vehicles

Bischoff + Scheck GmbH and the Fraunhofer IBMT have been working closely together for years in the development of mobile, highly secure biological laboratories. Several S2 and S3 laboratories have already been manufactured as a result. The MobiLab mobile test laboratory was developed to carry out COVID-19 tests, antibody tests, and vaccinations, among other things. The labs will initially be used to test workers for COVID-19 at companies, government agencies, and hospitals. The testing can be carried out as a PCR test in the so-called “pooling process,” but it can also be done as an antibody test. Depending on the result, a PCR test can be carried out in the same laboratory immediately afterwards to check the test result and, if necessary, to confirm it.The mobility allows the tests to be performed directly on site. The trailer can then be moved daily within a radius of several hundred miles without any problems.? No more excuses…

The laboratory has all the technical and medical equipment and personnel to carry out and analyze up to 500 tests per day. The results are available promptly, creating certainty as to whether and who has or has not been infected in the past or perhaps even currently acutely infectious. In the event of a positive test result suggesting an acute infection, a nasal swab test can be carried out on the person immediately for PCR testing on the spot. Same-day test results are available: within minutes for the antibody test and within a few hours for the PCR test. This type of mobile testing makes it possible for the first time to test larger groups of people under the same medical and technical conditions in a single location. The results are therefore comparable as they were obtained under a certified, reproducible environment. In addition, the mobile labs meet the logistical and technical requirements for testing several hundred people in a short period of time.

This can provide clarity about the extent to which the infection is spreading and prevent hotspots from spreading unnoticed. Companies, government agencies, the healthcare system, and people in general can therefore be more certain and thus significantly improve safety. With these tests and their results, significantly better evaluations can be created, which means that restrictions and regulations that are currently necessary to protect the population can be withdrawn more quickly. More tests result in more safety and, as a result, faster relaxation of restrictions, which means a return to everyday life and production processes. The mobile laboratories have further uses: they can also be used for vaccinations and blood draws, at major events, and in disaster relief operations where laboratory capacities and treatment rooms are required on site as quickly as possible. The laboratories can be technically upgraded to S3 so that they can also work with undefined pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. The laboratories are designed as BDF swap body systems and can also be moved with conventional commercial semi tractors. The laboratories can also be transported by rail for environmentally-friendly transport over thousands of miles. Because the mobile laboratories can be lowered hydraulically to be level with the ground, they are barrier-free and therefore also handicapped accessible, which means that almost all population groups can take part in the tests. If the mobile laboratory is to remain in one place for a long time, the tractor can be detached for use in other logistics tasks. The investment costs are thus limited to the laboratory, which significantly reduces both the upfront investment and ongoing maintenance and service costs. The system is highly flexible and can be implemented quickly in much of the world. Using the MobiLab makes it possible to return medical resources partially withdrawn from the health system during the pandemic back to their regular uses.