PURAK: Wearable Devices for Distal Arm Functionality Rehabilitation (360G-Wellcome-103383_B_13_Z)

The loss of an arm and hand through amputation following an accident has a drastic effect on the victim. If the victim is also the main wage earner in a family, as is frequent in India, the impact on dependents can be even greater. Providing the victim with a prosthetic hand and rehabilitation at an early stage can boost their chances of regaining ability with their arm and returning to productive work. However prostheses are either not affordable for the large majority of the Indian population or unsuitable for sustainable use and maintenance. The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (IISc) has made a breakthrough with new concepts for the design of affordable prostheses. An international collaboration has been formed between the IISc and the University of Oxford with the aim of developing these designs and readying them for commercial manufacture. The IISc, with its expertise in affordable and appropriate design, will work together with biomechanics and clinical trials experts at the University of Oxford and with experts in commercialisation at both centres. This international partnership will ensure the new design ideas from IISc have a major impact on affordable healthcare in India.