Made in Chennai: Growing an indigenous idea
The Hindu
IIT-Madras developed wheelchair that was used in an attempt to create a world record
Recently, when Kamal Kanta, a 28-year-old with spinal cord injury, attempted a world record to complete a 213-kilometre run in 24 hours on his manual wheelchair at Bhubaneswar, a small team from Chennai was around to cheer him. They are behind Kamal giving him ‘wings’ to vroom on the adaptable wheelchair.
The desi wheelchair — designed with Kamal’s body measurement in mind to provide him ergonomic comfort — and his will power went a long way towards ensuring he did not face any roadblocks during the event.
For the IIT-Madras incubated start-up NeoMotion that designed and developed the wheelchair, Kamal’s feat is proof that users of such mobility aids can be independent and take up some livelihood work. Kamal himself is a peer trainer where he educates and motivates other persons with spinal cord injury. As per their research, every year three lakh wheelchairs are sold in India, of which two and half lakh are imported. More than 90% of all wheelchairs sold in India are one-size-fits-all, restricting mobility and confidence.