IITH incubated start-up develops a gamified arm rehabilitation device for stroke victims

Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad-incubated startup BeAble Health has developed a Gamified Arm Rehabilitation Device for neuro-rehabilitation of stroke victims and motor rehabilitation of victims with the upper motor deficit. The ‘ArmAble’ was unveiled by Dr Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, in the presence of Dr Renu Swarup, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, during Seventh Foundation Day celebrations of Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) on March 19, in Delhi.

During the Foundation Day, ‘BIRAC TiE WInER Award 2019 for Women’ was presented to Akitha Kolloju, Co-founder of HEAMAC Healthcare, which was also incubated by IIT Hyderabad. The founders of both start-ups graduated from the Fellowship Program offered by the Center for Healthcare Entrepreneurship (CfHE), IIT Hyderabad, which trains individuals from various disciplines towards innovations in Healthcare.

Speaking about the recognitions accorded to graduates of CfHE Program, Dr Renu John, Co-Head of CfHE and Head, Department of Biomedical Engineering, IIT Hyderabad, said, “The successes of these two entrepreneurs is a testimonial to the Systematic Biodesign Process that they followed at the CfHE starting from the identification of the unmet need to the Launch of the product validating their concept and carefully addressing the risks at each stage of product development”

BeAble Health works towards enabling health and lives through the convergence of good design and technology. 'ArmAble' is their first product and is aimed at solving a pressing need for intensive, engaging and regular rehabilitation therapy for Upper Limb. It is aimed at conditions such as Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, Traumatic Brain Injury, Fracture and Frozen shoulder.

Speaking about ‘ArmAble’, Habib Ali, a Biomedical Engineer and a CfHE Fellow who co-founded BeAble, said, “The constant mentoring and support by CfHE helped us identify a strong need and conceptualize an appropriate solution. This strong research foundation and a significant grant from BIRAC under the guidance of IKP Hyderabad have accelerated our journey to the product. The ecosystem enablers have played a crucial role in our journey so far, and it is just the beginning.”