Diabetic foot condition affects nearly 10 per cent of patients. The disease triggers foot ulcers and amputation in critical cases.
IIT Bombay, however, has found a solution to cure the disease. It has developed a low-cost, portable diabetic foot screener that can semi-automatically screen patients with diabetic foot neuropathy. The technology was unveiled at the IIT Bombay’s Medical Device Innovation Camp on Tuesday.
A brain-child of IIT- Bombay alumnus and innovator Nishant Kathpal, the technology called ‘Stiffness Measurement Unit (STIMU)’, was launched by Padma Vibhushan Dr Anil Kakodkar in presence of IIT-B Director, Prof Subhasis Choudhuri.
“Unlike other devices that check diabetic neuropathy, this device is based on the concept of tissue stiffness. It makes patient screening faster and more reliable, leading to more effective treatment and care,” Kathpal was quoted as saying in news reports.
IIT Bombay has licensed the intellectual property of the diabetic foot screener to a start-up company, Ayati Devices, founded by Nishant in SINE, the business incubator of IIT-B.
Among other innovators who were a part of the exhibition, was Aneesh Sharma. A class-XII dropout and a polio patient himself, Aneesh presented a technological solution to offer a proper gait to those affected by polio, muscular atrophy, cerebral palsy and old age.
Another start-up, Ayu Devices, incubated by Biomedical Engineering and Technology ‘incubation’ Centre (BETiC) of IIT Bombay, showcased a digital stethoscope AyuSynk that can record, amplify, share and analyse auscultation (the action of listening to sounds from the heart, lungs, or other organs). So far, the company has sold and received orders for more than 650 units, the Indian Express reported.