NEW DELHI: After a friend injured his ankle while playing basketball, an alumnus of IIT-Delhi along with two other students has come up with an improved crutch that facilitates comfortable movement to its users. “I saw my friend having a tough time. He faced huge trouble while walking and used to struggle while climbing stairs. That’s when I decided to work on an alternative which is more comfortable,” says IIT-Delhi alumnus Srinivas Adepu.
He started working on the new design two years ago when he was in the final year of Masters at the engineering institute. The 25-year-old and his friends - Arvind SA, and Girish Yadav - run a start-up, Flexmotiv, to market their product. The trio observed and analysed the troubles faced by the users of conventional crutches. “A regular crutch is slippery and is troubling during rain. The round tip on its base is unstable and less durable. It induces pain in the armpits and the users face jerks,” Adepu says, adding the new design has been equipped with shock absorbers to ensure that the bumps are taken care of.
Adepu claims the Flexmo crutch is a one-of-a-kind product that can be used on all terrains, including snow and wet surfaces. “The Flexmo crutch can be used without the fear of slipping and falling on any kind of surface as it mimics artificial human foot like in the case of blade-runners,” he says, adding the broad base helps against slipping.
The new design, Adepu says, has been tested on more than 100 volunteers and the results were “great”. Priced at Rs 3,000, the product will be available in the market from August 9. A company in Indore will manufacture these new age crutches after they are formally launched at an event in IIT-Delhi.Two professors - Sudipto Mukherjee from IIT-Delhi and Rajesh Malhotra from AIIMS - supervised the project and helped the students with designing.
All-weather product
Priced at Rs 3,000, the Flexmo crutch will be available in the market from August 9. Its designers claim that the new-age crutch can be used on all terrains as it comes with shock absorbers