IIT Madras enhances wearable assistive devices for people with motor disabilities, hearing impairment

The devices will have rechargeable batteries and can be communicated via mobile Bluetooth. The product will cost less than INR 5,000 to make it affordable for people. 

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Researchers of the Indian Institue of Technology (IIT) Madras have enhanced wearable asset devices to help emancipate people with hearing and motor impairments. 

The project is funded by Sony Pictures Limited India as its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative. It will help generate LED light inputs for sounds that are pre-identified such as doorbell. Further, it will also help to recognise gestures and help to provide audio output with the help of smartphones, thereby helping people with cerebral paralysis to communicate. 

The Centre for Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology or CREATE is developing the device. CREATE is an educational and multidisciplinary initiative that was started by IIT Mandi. CREATE intends to meet several low-cost indigenous technologies that intend to help with different abilities. 

Anil Prabhakar, head, CREATE-IIT Madras, said the cost of the product had been kept low. The product would cost less than INR 5,000 so that it was affordable and could be accessed by people. CREATE is developing two major projects ‘Vibe’ and ‘iGest’ that would help people with motor disabilities and hearing impairment.  

While ‘Vibe’ will help generate vibration and LED light inputs, ‘iGest’ will help recognise gestures and also provide audio output. The wearable devices will have rechargeable batteries and can be communicated via mobile Bluetooth. 

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