"Intelligence and capabilities are very subjective. Even the simplest action may become the best intelligent way of tackling an issue at a point in time." – Dr. Prahlad Vadakkepat

SELF-TRANSFER DEVICES

Indian Patent Number: 371329, dated 07 July 2021

  • Wheelchair users face great difficulty in transferring themselves from one surface to another, for example from wheelchair to a toilet commode. In such cases, mostly a caregiver’s assistance may be required, but it affects one’s dignity.
  • A robotic self-transfer device and a manual self-transfer device aimed at offering privacy and independence to lower limb disabled in performing daily activities have been developed.
  • The device- robotic or manual, attached to a wheelchair is useful in transferring a user from a wheelchair to a toilet commode or any another surface following simple and natural transfer procedure without the need of any caregiver.
  • The user can achieve transfer by operating joysticks in the case of manual version and makes use of the available upper body strength of the user for transfer in the manual version.
  • While the robotic version employs two linear actuators and a motor to accomplish the transfer, the manual version employs lockable gas springs and handwheel with epicyclic gear train to achieve transfer.
  • Trials were carried out to test the overall acceptability of the devices by involving potential beneficiaries and devices could successfully transfer the participants from a wheelchair to a chair with less effort in less than a minute. 
  • The manual version is first of its kind in the world and it was also found that the robotic version is superior to the other existing transfer systems in terms of comfort and operation.
  • The manual version is the World's first mechanized self-transfer device. The manual one and the powered one, both are India's first self-transfer devices for wheelchair users.
Conceptual design of the transfer process
Manual & Powered Self-Transfer devices
Transfer of a person from a wheelchair to a chair using the powered self-transfer device
Demonstration of World's first manual-mechanized self-transfer device for wheelchair users aired in 'Kalvipaarvai' programme in DD Podhigai (June 2015)
Giving an overview on self-transfer devices to  Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Science & Technology, Government of India, during his visit to SASTRA University, Thanjavur (26-February-2017)
Dr. Guido Bugmann from Plymouth University, UK volunteered himself to try the powered self-transfer device when he visited SASTRA for the IEEE International Conference on Robotics- Current Trends and Future Challenges in December 2016.
Won the Emerald Literati Award for the outstanding paper of the year 2018. 
Our research paper on Robotic self-transfer device was mentioned in the Editorial of Journal of Enabling Technologies  11 (2) authored by Dr. John Woolham and Dr.Sarah Parsons


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