On the mere contact of a button, a wheelchair person can now effortlessly transition from a sitting to a standing place because of the NeoStand — an indigenously developed and customisable electrical standing wheelchair. Developed by researchers on the TTK Middle for Rehabilitation Analysis and System Improvement (R2D2) from the Indian Institute of Know-how (IIT) Madras, this groundbreaking assistive system was launched on 20 March 2024, on the institute campus.

In response to a press launch issued by IIT-Madras, the mission 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 NeoMotion — an IIT Madras-incubated startup based by alumni from the institute.

Redefining the wheelchair expertise with its user-centric design

Moreover heading R2D2, Prof Srinivasan additionally teaches on the Division of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Madras. Articulating the imaginative and prescient of this mission, she stated, “Integrating standing operate in a wheelchair offers well being advantages in addition to useful and psychological advantages to the person. Our first standing wheelchair was Come up, a low-cost mechanical design, specifically designed for rural customers, enabling standing and outside mobility for brief distances.”

This compact standing wheelchair with an easy-to-use actuation system makes on a regular basis actions — like partaking 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 offers actual well being advantages.

For many wheelchair customers in India, the power to face is an actual luxurious. However standing is important for higher blood circulation, digestion, stopping stress sores, and so on. Moreover bodily well being, there may be additionally an actual psychological well being and financial component to standing for wheelchair customers.

In response to this November 2013 tutorial paper printed in Physiotherapy Canada, “Extended standing has been proven to have useful results on numerous physique features and constructions. As well as, time spent in a standing place can provide wheelchair customers a way of confidence and equality by face-to-face contact with the non-disabled group.”

“Utilizing a standing system can present alternatives to attach with the surface world, improve reminiscences from the previous, and promote hope for the longer term,” 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 protected area for our mobility and to carry out day by 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.”

Presently, 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, it is a important 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 remembers, “The concept for NeoStand was fueled by encounters with people who, regardless of their want for independence, discovered themselves reliant on others because of 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 operate. This limitation sparked our dedication to design an answer that would bridge this hole.”

“NeoStand, with its electrical standing operate, 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 resolution in city environments,” she provides.

Moreover 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 can assist the person practise standing progressively since NeoStand permits the person 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 take a seat for extended hours and stand comfortably when wanted, decreasing the danger of secondary well being issues. “Its compactness ensures straightforward manoeuvrability by tight areas, enhancing accessibility. The seamless transition between sitting and standing, with an choice to pause halfway, underscores its modern strategy to enhancing customers’ high quality of life and social participation,” she claims.

Growing 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 remembers talking to The Higher India, “The event course of was marked by rigorous testing and refinement, with our staff 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 at present.”

Nevertheless, growing the NeoStand did pose challenges, significantly in attaining a glossy, compact design appropriate for indoor use with out compromising on clean propulsion and performance.

“Our staff tackled these challenges by 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 presents tailor-made changes — together with seat width, depth, and backrest top, for extended consolation. The guide propulsion is enhanced by ergonomic design parts, facilitating smoother mobility. The electrical standing system employs a battery-powered actuator to easily transition the person to an upright place, whereas the protection system contains options like wheel locks and chest harnesses for added stability and safety,” says Swostik Sourav Sprint, Co-Founder and CEO at NeoMotion, talking to 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 person 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 the moment accessible for buy instantly by NeoMotion, with contact particulars offered on their web site for ease of entry. Our dedication to affordability extends past the worth tag, as we discover numerous methods to make units 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 mission to develop NeoStand was sponsored by the company social accountability (CSR) arm of Tata Elxsi. Improvement and design, in the meantime, had been led by the TTK Middle for Rehabilitation Analysis and System 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.

Chatting with The Higher India, Professor Sujatha says, “Our collaboration with Tata Elxsi’s CSR arm offered 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 in depth R&D work performed at R2D2, in addition to backing for the initiatives undertaken by the Nationwide Middle for Assistive Well being Applied sciences at IIT Madras,” she provides.

Shifting ahead, Professor Sujatha speaks of the “urgent want” they’re addressing — the supply 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 influence of our work and underscores the multifaceted nature of the help we search from our companions,” she provides.

(Edited by Pranita Bhat; Photos courtesy IIT-Madras)