IIT-M startup to provide customised wheelchairs

The plan is to impact 1,000 lives with a total CSR support of Rs 10 crore for 1,000 NeoBolt and NeoFly units in the next 12 months. A video explaining the project can be found here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5wN6j1b3AM&t=43s

IIT-Madras developed India’s first indigenous motorised wheelchair vehicle called ‘NeoBolt.’ NeoMotion has commercially launched ‘NeoBolt’ and ‘NeoFly,’ a personalised wheelchair designed to enhance health and lifestyle of differently abled persons

Wheelchairs in India have been provided via donations. However, important parameters such as user seating comfort, postural factors, compactness are ignored and oversized one-size-fits-all wheelchairs are provided to all beneficiaries. As a result, even though thousands of wheelchairs are provided to as many beneficiaries, the number of lives positively impacted is much lower.

To solve this issue, these CSR projects have taken a different approach by identifying and assessing the beneficiaries first before providing the wheelchairs. Beneficiaries are selected on the basis of socio-economic status, need assessment, diagnosis, and age, among other criteria. Moreover, the NeoBolt being a battery-powered clip-on device for the wheelchair is easier and convenient to use than the traditional donated hand powered tri-cycles, allowing users to travel farther and quicker.

Cumulatively, a total of 29 NeoBolt motorised outdoor mobility attachments and 160 NeoFly wheelchairs have been donated to 163 beneficiaries through three independent CSR projects, amounting to a total CSR funding of Rs 75 lakh.