Whoever Designed This Piece Of Medical Equipment Had To Know It Looks Just Like The Back Of An SUV

Every now and then I encounter something outside the world of cars that nevertheless feels like it was at least inspired by cars. Sneakers, for example; I was once told by an auto design professor at Art Center, one of the leading auto design schools, that the the auto design students that don’t end up working for carmakers usually go into athletic shoe design, and you can kind of see it. And it sort of makes sense: shoes are just vehicles for your feet, right? Or at least tires. But sometimes I’ll encounter something that feels oddly automotive but really has nothing to do with cars. I just happened to learn of such a thing, and it’s so car-like for a very non-car thing that I’m genuinely baffled.

This thing has nothing to do with cars or transportation or anything. In fact, it’s a bit of hospital equipment. Now, I‘ve noted some hospital equipment-car crossovers before, but I think this is the most obvious and inexplicable example I’ve ever seen.

Happily, this time I didn’t actually have to be in a hospital to see it; I encountered it through that other major public health institution, Reddit:

Next to my bed in hospital
byu/Happy_Grapefruit_923 inwhatisthiscar

This was in Reddit’s whatisthiscar subreddit, and holy crap, that piece of hospital equipment looks just like the back of some recent-ish generic SUV or minivan. I mean, look at it! It seems to have a rear window, taillights, a license plate housing, bumper, everything. I’m very happy this user spotted this remarkable visual congruency, and I hope they’re out of the hospital soon. It’s no fun.

It’s shocking how much this thing looks like the back of an SUV, because it’s about as far from an SUV as you could imagine, in the grand spectrum of machines. It’s an Argus 707 V Infusion Pump:

Just look at the damn thing? How can you look at that and not thing it’s about to swing upward and someone is about to load a dozen Target bags into the interior?

I’m not exactly sure which SUV I’d say this was modeled after, as it resembles a great number of them, but there do seem to be some special affinities with Toyota/Lexus products:

It’s not exactly a RAV4 or Sienna or Highlander or Lexus RX 350, but it’s also not far away from any of them, either.

As you can see in the diagram the “taillights” are the global alarm, the “rear window” is the display, and the license plate area flips down to reveal various sensors and detectors.

The parent company that makes these infusion pumps, CODAN, also seems to use the same housings for their Volumetric Infusion Pumps, but with more advanced dot-matrix screen and the “taillights” switched from red to bluish-white lamps:

Without the red lenses and with the rectangular white-backlit displays, these look a bit less automotive, but the basic shapes are still there.

The question is was this deliberate? Was there some designer at CODAN that was so taken with the tailgate of their minivan or SUV that they had to re-create the experience in molded plastic for the benefit of the many patients who would be stuck looking at these things from their hospital beds? I really want – maybe need – to know. The company is Swiss and I’m not too hopeful about them getting back to me, but I’ll try. Who knows what other automotive-inspired medical equipment is on the drawing boards as we speak? A blood pressure monitor that looks like an overhead view of a Renault Dauphine? An IV bag holder that strongly resembles a Grand Cherokee? An ultrasound machine that reminds you of a Ford Pinto?

After seeing this, I think anything is possible! They have to know this thing looks like the back of an SUV, right? Right? Or do I have it backwards, and SUV designers are sneaking peeks at medical equipment for inspiration? At this point, I’d believe either story.