IIT Madras hands over 25 indigenous wheelchairs to Army Hospital

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras handed over the first batch of 25 indigenously developed YD One ultra-lightweight wheelchairs to the Army Hospital (Research and Referral) in New Delhi under a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative funded by global financial technology company Fiserv. The handover marks the launch of IIT Madras's initiative to distribute 100 wheelchairs, with the remaining 75 set to be distributed in phases over the coming months.

The YD One wheelchairs are manufactured by Thryv Mobility, a startup supported by IIT Madras and developed at the institute's TTK Centre for Rehabilitation Research and Device Development (R2D2). They are designed to enable users to operate them independently and maintain active mobility during rehabilitation training.

Speaking at the event, Lieutenant General Avinash Das, Commandant of the Army Hospital (Research and Referral), said the initiative would directly benefit patients undergoing rehabilitation.

"Mobility is fundamental to dignity and independence. We welcome this collaboration between IIT Madras and Fiserv, which directly supports our patients and their families in regaining and maintaining mobility through devices designed and developed in India," said Das.

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From lab to patient care

IIT Madras states that these wheelchairs will be integrated into the hospital's rehabilitation programme.This will enable patients to experience active mobility and demonstrate that independent movement is possible during the recovery period.

Manish Anand, faculty member at IIT Madras and TTK Centre for R2D2, said the project reflects the institute’s commitment to developing indigenous assistive technologies for Indian users.

“This handover represents what IIT Madras's R2D2 was established to achieve-indigenous engineering for assistive technologies that meet the needs of Indian users at global standards. We are proud that our research has moved from the lab to serving those who have served the country and grateful to Fiserv for enabling this scale of impact through their CSR support,” Anand said.

The YD One wheelchair differs from conventional institutional wheelchairs by focusing on independent mobility. Developed with inputs from wheelchair users, it is an active manual wheelchair designed to allow users to move without assistance from attendants.

Rear Admiral Deepak Bansal (Retd), Professor of Practice at IIT Madras and Head of Strategic Partnerships at Thryv Mobility, played a key role in connecting academia, industry and the military to facilitate the deployment of indigenous assistive technologies.

Highlighting the company’s CSR commitment, Sachin Kulkarni, President, Global Services, Fiserv, said the partnership combines technological innovation with social impact.

“Partnering with IIT Madras to deliver indigenously developed mobility solutions to the Armed Forces Medical Services brings together engineering excellence and meaningful social outcomes – exactly the kind of collaboration our CSR vision is built around,” Kulkarni said.

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Justin Jesudas, chief executive officer and co-founder of Thryv Mobility, described the deployment as a significant milestone for the company.

“The YD One was designed and built in India to serve Indian users without compromise on quality. To see it now reaching the men and women of the Armed Forces, through the leadership of IIT Madras and the support of Fiserv, is the deepest validation of why this product exists,” he said.

The YD One wheelchair has been developed to international quality standards and tested for durability in line with ISO 7176 protocols. IIT Madras said the device is available at a significantly lower cost than comparable imported products.