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 Middle for Rehabilitation Analysis and System Growth (R2D2) from the Indian Institute of Expertise (IIT) Madras, this groundbreaking assistive gadget was launched on 20 March 2024, on the institute campus.
In line with 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 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 mission, she stated, “Integrating standing perform in a wheelchair supplies well being advantages in addition to useful 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 outside 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 e-book or having fun with a meal standing by a counter — a lot simpler for wheelchair customers, and in addition supplies actual well being advantages.
For many wheelchair customers in India, the power to face is an actual luxurious. However standing is crucial for higher blood circulation, digestion, stopping stress sores, and so forth. In addition to bodily well being, there’s additionally an actual psychological well being and financial factor to standing for wheelchair customers.
In line with this November 2013 educational paper revealed in Physiotherapy Canada, “Extended standing has been proven to have useful results on varied 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 gadget 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 house for our mobility and to carry out each day actions. The flexibility to face with only a push of a button makes the wheelchair much more inclusive, serving to tetraplegics to face independently.”
At present, 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 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 resulting from 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 dedication to design an answer that might 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 assist with much less bodily pressure. Its compact design additional addresses the necessity for a sensible, space-efficient resolution 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 take a seat for extended hours and stand comfortably when wanted, decreasing the chance 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 revolutionary strategy to enhancing customers’ high quality of life and social participation,” she claims.
Creating the NeoStand
As said earlier, the conceptualisation of NeoStand took root in August 2021 pushed by a transparent imaginative and prescient to reinforce mobility options. As Professor Sujatha remembers chatting with The Higher India, “The event course of was marked by rigorous testing and refinement, with our workforce finishing 4 design iterations to excellent the NeoStand. This iterative course of was essential in evolving the prototype into the market-ready product we’re proud to introduce right this moment.”
Nonetheless, growing the NeoStand did pose challenges, notably in reaching a modern, compact design appropriate for indoor use with out compromising on easy propulsion and performance.
“Our workforce 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 aims. 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 security 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 components, facilitating smoother mobility. The electrical standing system employs a battery-powered actuator to easily transition the consumer to an upright place, whereas the security 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 instances on a single cost. Moreover, the battery’s fast recharge functionality — absolutely recharging inside simply 4 hours — ensures minimal downtime, enhancing the consumer expertise by offering constant assist 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 obtainable for buy instantly by way of 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 varied 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. Growth and design, in the meantime, had been led by the TTK Middle for Rehabilitation Analysis and System Growth (R2D2) at IIT Madras and NeoMotion.
In line with 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 otherwise 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 offered not solely monetary assist but additionally invaluable experience in industrial design for a few of our initiatives. Our partnership mannequin extends past monetary grants, aiming to embody assist for the in depth R&D work carried out 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 through the sports activities and cultural occasions we organise. Given the dearth of accessible public transportation choices in our cities, this initiative represents a significant hyperlink in making certain participation and accessibility for all attendees. This sort of [corporate] assist goes a good 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)
