GUWAHATI:
Researchers of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, have developed a prosthetic leg specifically designed for Indian conditions. It is suitable for uneven terrain and 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.
The research was funded by the ministry of education and the department of biotechnology and led by Prof S Kanagaraj, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Guwahati in which researchers collaborated with 151 Army Base Hospital, Guwahati, Tolaram Bafna Kamrup District Civil Hospital, Guwahati, Guwahati Neurological Research Centre (GNRC), North Guwahati, and North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGHRIMS), Shillong.
According to the IIT, prosthesis development in India faces many challenges as 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.
Highlighting the key areas of their research, Prof S Kanagaraj said, “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 have cross-legged sitting; the locking mechanism helps to reduce the fear of falling of patients while walking in unknown terrain; adjustable link length in a 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 fulfil”.
The abnormality noticed in their gait pattern of knee and foot is reduced using the Sankalp knee design and confirmed using gait and motion analysis. As different parameters such as comfort, weight, and functionality of lower limb prosthesis play an important role in deciding human locomotion, the prosthesis leg is optimized to meet all requirements. The lower limb amputees will have improved quality of life, independence, and comfort level in doing their daily activities.
Fixation of prosthetic leg components to various amputees is done by a trained prosthetist. Qualitative feedback is accumulated from the amputees based on the previous usage of an earlier prosthetic leg if any. After the fixation of our developed technologies amputees were able to walk with a flexed knee in between parallel bars and outside of it on the first-day rehabilitation at Gait and Motion Analysis Laboratory at IIT Guwahati. Additionally, amputees were able to use the different functionalities of the prosthetic leg with and without any additional support in their daily life.