IIT-M team creates motorised wheelchair

CHENNAI: Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) has developed an indigenous motorised battery-operated wheelchair vehicle called ‘NeoBolt’, which can be used not only on roads but also over uneven terrain. 

The researchers collaborated  with organisations and hospitals to build the product. NeoBolt, fitted with a lithium-ion battery, can travel up to 25 km on a single charge at a maximum speed of 25 kmph. It empowers users with a convenient, safe and low-cost mode of outdoor mobility as compared to other vehicles, said a statement.

The IIT research team led by professor Sujatha Srinivasan of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, launched the vehicle through the start-up ‘NeoMotion’, also founded by Srinivasan. IIT-M alumnus Swostik Sourav Dash, co-founder of the start-up, is the CEO of ‘NeoMotion’.