On the mere contact of a button, a wheelchair consumer can now effortlessly transition from a sitting to a standing place due to the NeoStand — an indigenously developed and customisable electrical standing wheelchair. Developed by researchers on the TTK Heart for Rehabilitation Analysis and Gadget Improvement (R2D2) from the Indian Institute of Know-how (IIT) Madras, this groundbreaking assistive machine was launched on 20 March 2024, on the institute campus.
In response to a press launch issued by IIT-Madras, the venture to develop NeoStand was led by Professor Sujatha Srinivasan, Head of R2D2, who additionally led the event of Come up, India’s first guide standing wheelchair, and NeoBolt, the nation’s first motorised add-on for wheelchairs.
In an encouraging improvement, the NeoStand is being taken to the Indian market by way of NeoMotion — an IIT Madras-incubated startup based by alumni from the institute.
Redefining the wheelchair expertise with its user-centric design
In addition to heading R2D2, Prof Srinivasan additionally teaches on the Division of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Madras. Articulating the imaginative and prescient of this venture, she stated, “Integrating standing perform in a wheelchair gives well being advantages in addition to purposeful and psychological advantages to the consumer. Our first standing wheelchair was Come up, a low-cost mechanical design, specifically designed for rural customers, enabling standing and out of doors mobility for brief distances.”
This compact standing wheelchair with an easy-to-use actuation system makes on a regular basis actions — like participating in eye-level conversations, reaching for a guide or having fun with a meal standing by a counter — a lot simpler for wheelchair customers, and likewise gives actual well being advantages.
For many wheelchair customers in India, the flexibility to face is an actual luxurious. However standing is important for higher blood circulation, digestion, stopping stress sores, and many others. In addition to bodily well being, there’s additionally an actual psychological well being and financial aspect to standing for wheelchair customers.
In response to this November 2013 tutorial paper printed in Physiotherapy Canada, “Extended standing has been proven to have helpful results on numerous physique features and constructions. As well as, time spent in a standing place may give wheelchair customers a way of confidence and equality by way of face-to-face contact with the non-disabled neighborhood.”
“Utilizing a standing machine can present alternatives to attach with the surface world, improve reminiscences from the previous, and promote hope for the long run,” it provides.
Justin Jesudas — head of operations at R2D2 with 14 years of lived expertise as a tetraplegic and an elite para-athlete — says, “Wheelchairs allow us, and it’s a secure house for our mobility and to carry out each day actions. The power to face with only a push of a button makes the wheelchair much more inclusive, serving to tetraplegics to face independently.”
At the moment, wheelchair customers are sometimes depending on exterior assist and a few want to make use of orthoses to face. For customers with compromised higher physique power, this can be a vital problem, and a guide standing wheelchair is insufficient, notes the press launch issued by IIT-Madras.
That’s why in a dialog with The Higher India, Professor Sujatha Srinivasan recollects, “The thought for NeoStand was fueled by encounters with people who, regardless of their want for independence, discovered themselves reliant on others attributable to their bodily limitations. The journey to growing NeoStand started in August 2021 with our remark that customers of the Come up Standing Wheelchair, regardless of its improvements, had been restricted by the requirement for higher physique power to function the arm and hand-powered standing perform. This limitation sparked our willpower to design an answer that would bridge this hole.”
“NeoStand, with its electrical standing perform, was conceived to empower a broader spectrum of customers — together with these missing the higher physique power for guide operation — and to facilitate caregivers in offering help with much less bodily pressure. Its compact design additional addresses the necessity for a sensible, space-efficient answer in city environments,” she provides.
In addition to placing much less pressure on the shoulders of caregivers or therapists within the hospital, the NeoStand additionally carries significance from a therapeutic standpoint. Caregivers or therapists will help the consumer practise standing regularly since NeoStand permits the consumer to cease at intermediate positions. That is very helpful from a therapeutic standpoint.
Elaborating additional, she describes the way it guarantees customers the liberty to sit down for extended hours and stand comfortably when wanted, decreasing the danger of secondary well being problems. “Its compactness ensures straightforward manoeuvrability by way of tight areas, enhancing accessibility. The seamless transition between sitting and standing, with an choice to pause halfway, underscores its progressive strategy to bettering customers’ high quality of life and social participation,” she claims.
Creating the NeoStand
As acknowledged earlier, the conceptualisation of NeoStand took root in August 2021 pushed by a transparent imaginative and prescient to boost mobility options. As Professor Sujatha recollects chatting with The Higher India, “The event course of was marked by rigorous testing and refinement, with our crew finishing 4 design iterations to good the NeoStand. This iterative course of was essential in evolving the prototype into the market-ready product we’re proud to introduce right now.”
Nevertheless, growing the NeoStand did pose challenges, notably in attaining a glossy, compact design appropriate for indoor use with out compromising on clean propulsion and performance.
“Our crew tackled these challenges by way of a mix of systematic engineering and considerate industrial design, making certain that the ultimate product not solely met however exceeded our targets. This course of was a testomony to our dedication to innovation and our relentless pursuit of options that improve the standard of life for our customers,” she claims.
Understanding NeoStand
NeoStand is engineered with 4 key programs: the seating system for consolation, the guide propulsion system for mobility, the electrical standing system for easy transition from sitting to standing, and the protection system to make sure safe use.
“The seating system provides tailor-made changes — together with seat width, depth, and backrest peak, for extended consolation. The guide propulsion is enhanced by ergonomic design components, facilitating smoother mobility. The electrical standing system employs a battery-powered actuator to easily transition the consumer to an upright place, whereas the protection system consists of options like wheel locks and chest harnesses for added stability and safety,” says Swostik Sourav Sprint, Co-Founder and CEO at NeoMotion, chatting with The Higher India.
“Powering the NeoStand is a Lithium-ion battery, chosen for its reliability and efficiency. This battery allows customers to seamlessly transition between seated and upright positions as much as 200 occasions on a single cost. Moreover, the battery’s fast recharge functionality — totally recharging inside simply 4 hours — ensures minimal downtime, enhancing the consumer expertise by offering constant help all through the day,” says Professor Sujatha.
Priced at Rs 89,900, the NeoStand is positioned to make superior mobility options extra accessible, argues Swostik. “It’s at present obtainable for buy immediately by way of NeoMotion, with contact particulars supplied on their web site for ease of entry. Our dedication to affordability extends past the value tag, as we discover numerous methods to make gadgets just like the NeoStand extra accessible to wider communities, making certain that superior mobility options attain those that want them most,” he elaborates.
Company collaboration
The venture to develop NeoStand was sponsored by the company social duty (CSR) arm of Tata Elxsi. Improvement and design, in the meantime, had been led by the TTK Heart for Rehabilitation Analysis and Gadget Improvement (R2D2) at IIT Madras and NeoMotion.
In response to the press launch issued by IIT Madras, Sudhakar Rao — IAS (Rtd); Member, Board of Administrators, Tata Elxsi; and Chairman of CSR committee, Tata Elxsi — stated, “The launch of a brand new product…for the in a different way abled signifies a turning level in our endeavour to foster inclusiveness and empowerment for people who face mobility challenges,” he stated.
Talking to The Higher India, Professor Sujatha says, “Our collaboration with Tata Elxsi’s CSR arm supplied not solely monetary help but additionally invaluable experience in industrial design for a few of our initiatives. Our partnership mannequin extends past monetary grants, aiming to embody help for the intensive R&D work performed at R2D2, in addition to backing for the initiatives undertaken by the Nationwide Heart for Assistive Well being Applied sciences at IIT Madras,” she provides.
Transferring ahead, Professor Sujatha speaks of the “urgent want” they’re addressing — the availability of an tailored bus service.
“This service is essential for transporting individuals with disabilities to and from our centres, particularly in the course of the sports activities and cultural occasions we organise. Given the shortage of accessible public transportation choices in our cities, this initiative represents an important hyperlink in making certain participation and accessibility for all attendees. This type of [corporate] help goes a great distance in amplifying the affect of our work and underscores the multifaceted nature of the help we search from our companions,” she provides.
(Edited by Pranita Bhat; Pictures courtesy IIT-Madras)