IN Bureau

Making life easier and normal for those who have lost their limbs, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras launched the country’s first Polycentric Prosthetic Knee on Friday.

Video:

India’s first indigenously-developed Polycentric Prosthetic Knee, '#Kadam' is an #AtmanirbharBharat initiative, launched by the researchers from TTK Centre for Rehabilitation Research & Device Development at @iitmadras. It will enhance the quality of life of the #Divyang. pic.twitter.com/QUnZZGyiFs

— Ministry of Education (@EduMinOfIndia) April 9, 2022

Christened as “Kadam”, this knee which is indigenously developed will help in improving the quality of life of thousands who are above-knee amputees. It has been developed by IIT-M in association with Society for Biomedical Technology (SBMT) and Mobility India, as per the statement released by the institution.

This prosthetic knee will enable such amputees to walk with a comfortable gait and help them increase their community participation, access to employment and education besides contributing to their well-being.

Sharing details of the device, the researchers said: “Kadam has advantages over a hinge joint because of the multiple axes of rotation, which provide the user greater control over the prosthesis while walking and maximum knee flexion of 160 degrees to make it easy to sit in cramped spaces like buses and autos. It is designed for durability with high strength stainless steel and aluminium alloy along with hard chrome plated EN8 pins and high fatigue life polymer bushings.”

Kadam is affordable and assures high quality, performance and complies with ISO 10328 standards. It will provide the user stability and reduce the risk of stumbling while its geometry is specifically optimized for use on uneven terrains.

Differently-abled persns (above-knee amputees) seen walking with 'Kadam', an indigenous prosthetic knee developed at @iitmadras

With this affordable knee, they can easily walk, cycle, sit in buses, autos, ride scooters. It is tested, strong& durable, ISO certified.#India pic.twitter.com/hLGovQ1zrW

— Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) April 8, 2022

IIT-M’s TTK Centre for Rehabilitation Research and Device Development which has developed Kadam, is involved in research related to human movement and the design and development of rehabilitation devices, has developed this knee.

On its part, the Bengaluru-based NGO, Mobility India will mass manufacture Kadam and it to the market besides overseeing the fitment and training and ensuring easy access for the users.