After serving as a project manager in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) for three years, Dan had experienced, how, in the line of duty, every second counts. Working alongside combat medics and EMTs, he understood how these overlooked rescuers were standing in the way of danger, when providing life-saving treatment, with inefficient medic bags and obstructive safety gear. It was then, as a student at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) where he and his colleague, Shivin, a business-oriented multi-disciplinary designer, conceptualized MAGEN to tackle this problem. It is by keeping an eye on the ethical side of combat & rescue that they, as designers were able to create a superior line of rescue equipment, which would enable the rescuer to have the best chance of saving lives in high risk and high-pressure scenarios.

Design Team

Dan Limonchik, RISD Industrial Design '19

Shivin Khanna, RISD Industrial Design '19

MantaRay Includes a conceptual shock absorbing mechanism

ElectricRay A rapidly removed bulletproof vest.

StingRay A medical backpack, designed with a concealed deployable ballistic shield.

MAGEN's product line MAGEN aims to enhance the performance of the lifesavers.

They focused on two distinct user groups - Combat Medics and Civilian EMTs.

Following research and interviews with professional medics alongside RISD's Public safety department, they developed prototypes, initial fabric models and finally, a fully finished alpha prototype. This final design keeps in mind not just their use but also the user's ergonomic comfort. Both validated their concept and user test through early physical representations to ensure that all form factors and utilities of the products were meeting the necessary user requirements.

The combat medics provide life-saving attention to their injured comrades. With their heavy and unbalanced equipment, they often cannot provide efficient medical support, that can be sometimes the difference between life and death. In addition, It is imperative to consider the gear soldiers wear in order to make it easier to assist them in the scenario of injury. Research shows that the two most common battlefield injuries are gunshot wounds and shrapnel damages to the body, both which result in heavy bleeding and removing manually the bulky bulletproof jacket takes precious time.

MantaRay is a user-friendly integrated medical kit bag with an existing equipment and flak jacket. This enables easier and quicker access to equipment for the medics and reduces the direct weight burden on them.It relies on a conceptual shock absorbing mechanism, similar to the one used in vehicles Suspension system, to reduce the weight of the bag for the user It aims at not only enhancing the comfort but also provides better performance for the combat medics , enabling them to carry out their task more efficiently by spending the least amount of time required on the field.

For the benefit of the soldier, they designed a rapid removal BP vest, ElectricRay, that allows the medic to work more quickly and effectively. ElectricRay can streamline the entire process , shaving off minutes from the rescue mission which can greatly impact the lives of the soldiers out there in the field. The key goal is to make the removal process easy, intuitive and as quick as possible.

Addressing the civilian rescue situation, EMTs often go into high-risk crime scenes, making them akin to combat like scenarios (such as the shooting at the Tree of Life, Pittsburgh, PA). Apart from ordinary medical calls In urban areas, EMT's increasingly respond to risky situations such as active shooters who are very unpredictable and can turn hostile extremely quickly. The equipment they bring along with them to these situations do not allow them to readily adjust to the scene leaving them at a disadvantage while performing their task.

Identifying the most apparent concerns with such situations, Dan and Shivin have designed a modular kit to improve the workflow of the military medic and the EMT and therefore their effective performance. StingRay, a modular EMT medical bag, is designed with a concealed rapidly deployable Ballistic shield for such high-risk situations. Keeping in mind the task and the movement of the EMTs, the StingRay enables maximum functionality and protection without compromising the essential task of providing aid.

At the core of their efforts, Dan and Shivin focused on safeguarding the protectors and enabling them to carry out their duties in the most challenging and unpredictable environment. Highlighting ergonomics, prioritizing hierarchy of components and receiving professional feedback, their line of products aims to enhance the performance of the lifesavers and fulfill Dan's ambition to help his troop friends in the future.