NeoBolt: IIT Madras creates India's first indigenous motorised wheelchair vehicle
By Team Newsable | First Published Aug 24, 2021, 4:32 PM ISTCompared to automobiles, auto-rickshaws, or adapted scooters, it provides wheelchair users with a convenient, safe, and low-cost means of outdoor transportation. The NeoBolt is powered by a Lithium-Ion battery that provides 25 kilometres per charge.
The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, has created the country's first indigenous motorised wheelchair vehicle, which can be utilised on roadways as well as rough terrain.
It is known as the 'NeoBolt'. It has a top speed of 25 kmph and a range of up to 25 kilometres per charge. Compared to automobiles, auto-rickshaws, or adapted scooters, it provides wheelchair users with a convenient, safe, and low-cost means of outdoor transportation. The NeoBolt is powered by a Lithium-Ion battery that provides 25 kilometres per charge.
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Throughout the development process, IIT-M researchers worked closely with organisations and institutions that work with people who have locomotor disabilities to build devices that take into account their experiences and make continual design modifications.
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NeoBolt was created by a team directed by Prof. Sujatha Srinivasan of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at IIT Madras and is now being commercialised by a company named NeoMotion. Prof. Sujatha Srinivasan and IIT Madras alumnus Swostik Sourav Dash, the CEO of NeoMotion, co-founded the start-up.
Srinivasan also led the team that developed India's first indigenously-designed Standing wheelchairs called 'Arise,' enabling a wheelchair user to shift from sitting to standing. The company has also created and commercialised 'NeoFly,' a customised wheelchair to improve health and lifestyle.
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Speaking to the media, Dash said that NeoFly and NeoBolt are presently being used by over 600 users across 28 States in India. The feedback has been positive. The demo units are accessible in 15 dealer locations and four rehabilitation centres across India's main cities.
It is projected that around three lakh wheelchairs are sold in India each year, with 2.5 lakh imported. Almost 95 per cent of wheelchairs marketed in India are 'one-size-fits-all,' limiting movement, harming health, and lowering self-confidence. The IIT Madras Team created 'NeoFly' and 'NeoBolt' to solve these challenges.
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