India's first indigenous standing wheelchair launched

Premier technical varsity, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, on Tuesday launched the country's "first indigenously" designed standing wheelchair, which will enable a differently-abled person to shift from sitting to standing position.

Named 'Arise', the standing wheelchair was launched in the presence of Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Thawarchand Gehlot at the institute here.

IIT, Madras "in collaboration with Phoenix Medical Systems has launched India's first indigenously-designed standing wheelchair," it said.

"It enables a differently-abled person requiring a wheelchair to shift from sitting to standing position, and vice versa, independently and in a controlled manner," a release from the university said. It was designed and developed by the institute's TTK Center for Rehabilitation Research and Device Development (R2D2), headed by Prof Sujatha Srinivasan in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Since 2015, with CSR support from TTK Prestige, the Centre was involved in research related to human movement, the influence of orthotic and prosthetic devices on human movement, and the design and development of mechanisms, products and assistive devices for people with impairments, it said.

"Thanks to a novel mass-manufacturable mechanical design.... and Phoenix's manufacturing capabilities, Arise will be made available at affordable prices," it said. Gehlot lauded IIT, Madras for its initiative, and also recalled the Narendra Modi government's various welfare measures for the 'divyang,' including setting up five national-level sophisticated sports centres for differently-abled sportspersons in different parts of the country.

According to Sashi Kumar, Managing Director, Phoenix Medical Systems, testing partners for 'Arise' included NGOs, hospitals, rehabilitation centres, individual users and clinicians who provided inputs. The initiative also had the support of Wellcome, an UK-based foundation, the release said.