IIT

Indian Institute of Technology, Madras

MDCRC has always been on the look out for the best it can offer its patients and has no boundaries to tie up or collaborate with any organization to get the best for the Duchenne Children. In this regard, a ray of hope flickered when the students of IIT Madras, Department of Mechanical Engineering were working with customized wheel chairs. The project was initiated under the able guidance of Dr. Sujata, Associate Professor, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering at IIT who is also a member of our technical board at MDCRC. She along with her research associates have designed a standing wheelchair. The design and fabrication of self-operated standing wheel chair is very special as it helps the disabled persons to stand up with minimal effort. Dynamical modelling and principles of mechanism design is used to develop novel standing wheel chair, which has made the dream of many physically challenged people happy. The team at IIT is designing several more of these customized standing wheel chairs based on the needs of the disorder.
At MDCRC, several of the Duchenne kids who turn non ambulant by their mid teens would benefit highly with this model felt Dr. Lakshmi, the Director of MDCRC which led to a collaborative work on the above. Few meetings with the engineers at IIT along with the physiatrist, Dr. Noorul Amin Shahid and physiotherapist have led to lot of inputs about the comfort of the patients and their challenges which will be incorporated soon. The meetings were led by Dr. Lakshmi of MDCRC and Dr. Sujata, heading the team.