Israeli reservist develops portable blood bank with hopes of saving lives on the battlefield

Israeli reservist combat soldier Oz Lotati, 29, experienced firsthand during the Gaza war the challenges and gaps in battlefield medical care for wounded soldiers. An industrial design graduate of the Holon Institute of Technology (HIT) near Tel Aviv, Lotati decided to address this critical issue by developing a portable blood-bank “refrigerator” designed to save lives on the battlefield.

“I was on reserve duty from October 7 and couldn’t stay indifferent to what we went through in the field,” he recalled. 

“As a design student and a combat soldier, I understood that a well‑designed product can save lives,” he explained. 

Lotati revealed that his innovative idea of a portable blood bank was born when he discovered that military logistics did not have any viable solution for carrying cooled blood in a combat zone. 

“When I found out there was no solution for carrying fully cooled blood in the combat zone,” Lotati recalled, “I knew this was the project I had to develop.”

He went on to develop a portable blood cooler that is designed to be used by field medical teams. The system is characterized by a cooling mechanism that includes a compact compressor and insulation, which secured a stable temperature during longer periods than current makeshift solutions. Another advantage is that the portable system runs on military radio batteries that are already used by the Israeli military. 

“The goal is that blood reaches the wounded quickly and at top quality,” Lotati explained.

“I want to make lifesaving treatment accessible even in the most remote and dangerous parts of the battlefield, under fire – not just back at the hospital. For that, you need a system that’s autonomous, mobile, durable, lightweight and compatible with operational gear. That’s exactly what I aimed for,” he continued.

Lotati did not only rely on his own battle experience. He also conducted interviews with other combat soldiers, battlefield doctors, IDF medics and medical platoon leaders. This insight became indispensable for the development of his portable blood bank. He recently showcased his device at a military medicine exhibition and currently seeks to secure funding from potential investors. 

“This is much more than a final project,” Lotati assessed. He stressed that he is mainly motivated by the prospect of saving lives on the battlefield. “It’s a moral duty. I saw with my own eyes what it means to be in the field without available blood, and if this product saves even one soldier then I’ve fulfilled my mission." 

Female IDF soldiers play an increasingly important role in saving the lives of seriously injured soldiers in the battlefield. 

Last August, IDF Major Dr. R., 35, made headlines by officially becoming the first female commando doctor in the Israeli military. She spoke at the time to the Israeli news outlet Ynet News on condition of anonymity due to security reasons. 

“It’s incredibly difficult to treat caregivers,” R. said. She stressed the importance of not losing focus of the critical lifesaving tasks in the field. 

“There’s no time to process what you’re going through when you constantly have to be ready for the next emergency. To keep functioning, I push the memories into a high drawer in my mind that I can’t reach. I just don’t open it. When people ask me about what I’ve been through, it’s very hard to open that drawer and remember what I saw."