Assam : IIT-Guwahati Develops Affordable Prosthetic Leg; Equipped With Advanced Features

13th June 2022

NET Web Desk

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati have developed a prosthetic leg, specifically designed for Indian conditions.

It accommodates Indian needs such as cross-legged sitting and deep squatting and is suited for rough terrain. It can also be adjusted for various age groups and phases of prosthesis utilization.

According to the IIT-Guwahati statement, “This research was funded by the Ministry of Education, Government of India and the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India. IIT Guwahati researchers collaborated with 151 Army Base Hospital, Guwahati; Tolaram Bafna Kamrup District Civil Hospital, Guwahati; Guwahati Neurological Research Centre (GNRC), North Guwahati; and North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGHRIMS), Shillong.”

“Highly functional mobility for amputees requires devices with advanced features which are expansive and cannot be afforded by many. Further, affordable prosthetics that are available in the market have many functional limitations. In addition, the Indian lifestyle and uneven terrain require prosthetics with specifications unique to India, which are not widely available in the market,” – the statement further reads.

A team led by Prof S Kanagaraj, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Guwahati, set out to tackle these issues. This research team is actively testing prototypes of their models.

Highlighting the key areas of their research, Prof. S Kanagaraj, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Guwahati said, “The knee joint developed by our team has a spring-assisted deep squat mechanism, which helps to use Indian toilet system more comfortably; the knee rotating mechanism helps to have cross-legged sitting; the locking mechanism helps to reduce the fear of falling of patients while walking in unknown terrain; adjustable link length in a knee helps to have either more stability or easy flexing depending on age and requirement of the patients. Overall, the knee joint is designed to meet the Indian lifestyle which other products fail to fulfil.”

“The Prosthetic leg is tested as per international standard loading conditions up to 100 kg body weight. Reduced weight of prosthetic leg is achieved by selecting suitable polymers, aluminium alloys and stainless steel for different components. A cost of around Rs 25,000 is ensured using the technology.” – informed the statement.