It has been designed keeping in mind patients with spinal cord injuries, stroke patients, elders and physically-challenged
A wheelchair controlled with a flick of a finger on a touchscreen, or one that reads minds, Indian engineers have been working on developing advanced prototypes that could rival the technology seen in Marvel movies.
Mind-controlled movement
Head, Robotics & Research A-SET Training and Research Institutes, New Delhi, Diwakar Vaish has created a wheelchair that works on brain signals. Reportedly the first-of-its-kind, it has been designed specifically for patients suffering from paralysis. “You can control the wheelchair with your thoughts. It’s the first time something of this sort is ready to be produced commercially,” Vaish said.
Gesture-controlled wheels
Engineers at the Humanitarian Technology (HuT) Labs of Amrita University, Kerala, have developed a wheelchair they call Mudra, that can be operated with fingertips or swipe gestures on a touchscreen. It has been designed keeping in mind patients with spinal cord injuries, stroke patients, elders and physically-challenged. The chair can also be operated via a bluetooth device by a caregiver.
“Though we’ve seen a tremendous leap in this field, there are no options for users to control the wheelchair with less strain on their hands. This prototype makes it possible to control the wheelchair by simply moving their fingers on a touch screen,” said Dr Rajesh Kannan Megalingam, Director of HuT Labs.
The prototype, that runs on an Android app. Also in cases, where the patient do not have control in their fingers, a second person can control the motion via bluetooth, rather than having to push it. A patent had already been filed for it.
GPRS-enabled wheelchair
Chandigarh doctors have come up with a GPRS-guided wheelchair and stretcher that would help patients to reach various departments within a hospital, and other areas inside the campus. Called PGIMER, it does this with the help of a tablet programmed with a map of the institute.
DESI WHEELS
To give a boost to production of advanced wheelchairs in India, the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on Wednesday signed an agreement with UK-based Motivation Charitable Trust, that provides wheelchairs and services for the disabled in developing countries. The Transfer of Technology and Consultancy Services agreement would help India reduce its dependency on Chinese imports, and manufacture advanced wheelchairs in the country in compliance with World Health Organisation guidelines.
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