CUTTACK: With an aim to provide better mobility to persons with disabilities, a group of students of Swami Vivekananda National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research (SVNIRTAR) here at Olatpur developed a solar-powered wheelchair.
The final year Bachelor of Physiotherapy students designed the wheelchair that runs on on solar energy to ease the commuting difficulties faced by differently-abled persons. The students noticed that persons with disabilities coming to SVNIRTAR are facing an uphill task in navigating the wheels manually while moving from one department to another. Their inconvenience inspired the students to develop the solar-powered device for comfort of persons with disabilities.
Once charged, the wheelchair can function for at least three hours. The solar-powered wheelchair can move at a speed of 15 to 20 km per hour. It has an accelerator and break to control speed and also has an horn. The parts of the solar-powered wheelchair are removable and can be repaired or replaced by local electricians and bicycle repairing shop in case of a breakdown, the students said.
“Trials have been undertaken by persons with spinal cord injury and they have appreciated it for providing extra comfort,” said a student Kiran Kumar Subudhi adding that the cost is affordable by common persons with disabilities.
The students Golak Bihari Khadanga, Sandip Patnaik, Soumya Prakash Acharya, Avilash Mahapatra, Preeti Payal, Tejeswini Sahoo and Sulipsa Priyadarsini succeeded in developing the wheelchair under the guidance of Professor and Head of Department, Physiotherapy, Patitapaban Mohanty and Associate Professor Basant Kumar Nanda.