Guwahati, June 13 : A research team at the Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati (IIT-G) has developed a prosthetic leg specifically designed for Indian conditions and suitable for uneven terrain.
The prosthetic leg supports Indian needs such as cross-legged sitting and deep squatting. It is also adjustable for the different age groups and multiple stages of prosthesis use.
Prosthesis development in India faces many challenges. 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.
A team led by Prof. S. Kanagaraj, department of mechanical engineering, IIT Guwahati, set out to tackle these issues.
Prototypes of their models developed by this research team are currently undergoing trials.
“The knee joint developed by our team has a spring-assisted deep squat mechanism, which helps to use the Indian toilet system more comfortably; the knee rotating mechanism helps to sit cross legged while the locking mechanism helps to reduce the fear of falling while walking in unknown terrain,” Prof. Kanagaraj said while pointing out the key areas of the research.
“The adjustable link length in the 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 fulfill,” he added.
The research was funded by the Union ministry of education and the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.
The research team also collaborated with 151 Army Base Hospital here, Tolaram Bafna Kamrup District Civil Hospital, Guwahati Neurological Research Centre (GNRC), North Guwahati, and North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS), Shillong.
The researchers identified various needs and developed novel solutions.
Market products developed with Western technology ignore Indian locomotion needs, such as cross-legged sitting, deep squatting and exercise postures in yoga which can be used for rehabilitation.
“The team has developed the advanced knee rotation mechanism in order to facilitate cross-legged sitting – allowing huge improvement in range over traditional prosthetic knees. The deep squat mechanism helps to prevent the arrest of motion while standing up and reduce metabolic energy cost,” a statement from the institute, issued here on Monday, said.
IANS