The Hindu : Front Page : Coimbatore Institute of Technology to develop affordable prostheses

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Tuesday, Jan 04, 2011
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Coimbatore Institute of Technology to develop affordable prostheses

Karthik Madhavan

Products available in the market are costly and customised for the West

“The college is looking at a 50-member team to work on the project”
The research is also expected to benefit students who will be exposed to cutting edge technology

COIMBATORE: Affordable, customised and indigenous prostheses will soon be available for physically challenged people, if the Coimbatore Institute of Technology (CIT) succeeds in its project to develop new devices.

Common man

The Coimbatore-based engineering college will embark on this project in association with an Union Government research institution.

An understanding has been reached and details will be formalised in the coming weeks, according to secretary of CIT R. Prabhakar.

Faculty

CIT wanted to take up the research because the prostheses available in the market were beyond the reach of the common man.

They were mostly suited for people in the U.S. as they were customised, he said.

The college has brought together faculty from mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, electronics engineering, chemical engineering, computer science, physics and chemistry departments to work on the project.

Research scholars

“The college is looking at a 50-member team to work on the project. In addition to the faculty, research scholars, post graduates and even under graduate students will be involved,” said S.R.K. Prasad, Correspondent. “The team will work with experts from the partner institute.”

Re-engineering

The CIT would not get into re-engineering prostheses that were available in the market.

“The team will start from scratch, work at the conceptual level and it will be an original research that will benefit people across the globe.”

Periodic intervals

The team would have short-term and long-term goals with deliverables at periodic intervals, said V. Selladurai, principal.

Small devices

“In the process of developing a prosthetic leg, the team will also come up with small devices that will help the affected people.”

To start with, the college will fund the project and once the team makes considerable progress, it will tap funding agencies and the Union Government.

Emerging areas

In the process of developing prostheses, the college wants to get into new, emerging areas in engineering. “Medical engineering and health is one area the CIT likes to concentrate on, and in a big way at that. The quality of research will be on a par with the best institutions in the world,” Mr. Prasad said.

The research is also expected to benefit students who will be exposed to cutting edge technology.

Tremendous effect

Welcoming the initiative, M.N.G. Mani of UDIS Forum that works for the challenged people, said the prostheses, if affordable to the common

Indian, would have a “tremendous” effect and provide much-needed independence.

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