World’s first self-standing crutches from IIT Delhi alumni start-up

NEW DELHI, AUGUST 9: The world’s first self-standing, all-terrain, slip-resistant crutches have been launched by Flexmotiv, a startup founded by IIT Delhi alumni. Tailor-made for the Indian terrain, these crutches are easy-to-carry, durable and enhances the mobility of the user.

It has a flexible toe-heel design at the bottom instead of the traditional pointed design allowing users to walk faster by reducing the need for hopping. The design also enables users to grip all kinds of terrains without the fear of slipping.

“Our product is designed like human feet. The tip is made flexible to expand for better grip. The flexibility of the tip has the added advantage of being able to absorb energy in each step and release it in the next allowing users to walk quicker than usual,” says Srinivas Adepu, co-founder of Flexmotive.

“We undertook a study of 100+ users with open-ended questions to learn how effective is the design of axillary crutch in empowering the user's life. It has been found that the existing design has issues related to both utility and usability”, added Girish Yadav, Co-founder, Flexmotiv.

The design also reduces the impact on the shoulders by 5% to 10% and improves user performance by 10% to 20% as compared to traditional crutches, says Flexmotiv.

The self-stabilizing property of the crutches gives better balance to the user while also eliminating the need to place it against something when not in use. “ It is very comfortable and easy-to-use. I can even walk faster with these crutches. This is a blessing for people like me,” said Payal Singh, one of the first to use the initial prototype of the product.

It is the world’s first self-standing axillary crutch, reduces the jarring forces in use from 5 to 10% while walking and improves the user performance by 10-20% as compared to traditional crutches. Flexmo improves the surface adaptability of traditional crutches, which are limited to the point of being unusable on uneven surfaces.

The crutches are currently available at Flexmotiv’s website: www.flexmotiv.com. It will soon be available on other e-commerce platforms such as Amazon by the end of August.