KADAM: India’s first indigenous polycentric prosthetic knee made by IIT-Madras

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, have unveiled India’s first Polycentric Prosthetic Knee, which seeks to improve the conditions for thousands above the amputees. ‘Kadam,‘ a polycentric knee for above Knee Prosthesis created in collaboration with Society for Biomedical Technology (SBMT) and Mobility India, and is also a ‘Made in India’ product.

‘KADAM’ features:

• Above-knee amputees can now walk with a natural gait thanks to Kadam. It not only attempts to improve users’ mobility, but also their quality of life by increasing community participation, access to education, livelihood opportunities, and overall well-being.
• It was created by a team at IIT Madras’ TTK Center for Rehabilitation Research and Device Development (R2D2), which also created and commercialised the country’s first standing wheelchair, ‘Arise,’ and the NeoFly-NeoBolt: active wheelchair and motorised add-on for seamless indoor-outdoor mobility.
• R2D2 is active in human movement research, as well as the design and development of rehabilitative and assistive equipment for persons who have movement disabilities.
• Former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam founded SBMT under DRDO to enable indigenous medical device development. Mobility India, a Bengaluru-based NGO, will mass-produce and sell Kadam, as well as managing the fitting and training processes and guaranteeing simple access for users.
• Because of the many axes of rotation, Kadam has an advantage over a hinge joint because it also gives the user extra control over the prosthesis while moving and allows for maximal flexion and extension of 160 degrees, making it much easier to sit in small areas like buses and vehicles.
• It is made of high-strength stainless steel and aluminium alloy, as well as strong chrome plated EN8 pins and polymer bushings with a long fatigue life.

Kadam, which was produced locally, is both affordable and of good quality and performance, meeting ISO 10328 criteria and undergoing 30 lakh cycles of fatigue testing. Its innovative shape is specifically optimised for use on uneven terrains, providing stability and reducing the chance of stumbling.