Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) has announced the launch of YD One — India’s lightest active wheelchair and the country’s first indigenously developed precision-built mono-tube rigid-frame wheelchair, designed to match the world’s best.
Highlighting the vision behind this product, Prof. Sujatha Srinivasan, Head, TTK Center for Rehabilitation Research and Device Development (R2D2), IIT Madras, who pioneered this project, said, “10 years ago, when R2D2 was established, we set out to change the assistive device landscape in India through world-class products to meet Indian needs primarily. We have realised that our products are well-designed and provide unique advantages in global markets as well, and we are proud to work with our passionate startups (first NeoMotion, now Thryv Mobility) to provide affordable choices and freedom to wheelchair users everywhere with YD One and more products to come.”
To bring YD One to market, the research team partnered with Thryv Mobility, an IIT Madras–incubated startup that will manufacture the wheelchairs locally to global benchmarks, ensuring each chair is truly bespoke and affordable to users in India and emerging markets.
Surgeon Vice Admiral Anupam Kapur, Nau Sena Medal, Director General Hospital Services (Armed Forces), said, “The Armed Forces have just been sanctioned a Centre for Advanced Research by the ICMR. They are going to be collaborating with IIT Madras and other start-ups to do the final medical validation, practical usage and the safety certification of all the innovative products that are coming out of this ecosystem.”
