IIT Madras develops, launches India's lightest active wheelchair
Jul 16, 2025
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], July 16 : The YD One is designed with international standards, offering a fully customised fit tailored to the unique body and posture of each individual user. Its ultra-lightweight and precision-engineered design ensures optimal strength and energy efficiency.
Launch of 'YD One', India's Lightest Active Wheelchair, developed indigenously by IIT Madras Researchers in the presence of Surgeon Vice Admiral Anupam Kapur, Nau Sena Medal, Director General Hospital Services (Armed Forces) & Prof V Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras at IIT Madras TTJ Auditorium.
Built to international standards, YD One is fully customised for each user's body, posture, and daily mobility needs. Weighing just nine kilograms, its ultra-lightweight, precision-engineered design delivers maximum strength and energy efficiency, making it effortless to lift, handle, and stow in cars, autos, or public transportation.
YD One launched in the IIT Madras campus in the presence of the Chief Guest, Surgeon Vice Admiral Anupam Kapur. Nau Sena Medal, Director General Hospital Services (Armed Forces); Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras; Project Coordinator Dr. Manish Anand, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering. IIT Madras: Dr. Ravinder Singh, Scientist, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR); and other dignitaries and stakeholders.
Across the world, the wheelchair is often seen as a universal symbol of disability, something that confines or restricts its user. This narrative must change. A wheelchair, when built correctly, is not a burden but an enabler of independence, mobility, and full participation in society.
Yet for millions, the reality remains grim: most still rely on heavy, poorly fitted hospital-style wheelchairs designed for short-term indoor use. These chairs make it hard to move freely and force people to be pushed around by others, limiting comfort and freedom. and dignity.
YD One transforms this reality. Built with precision-engineered geometry and aerospace-grade materials, it delivers the kind of high-performance, ultra-light mobility once only possible through expensive imports, but at a fraction of the cost. Minimalistic, stylish, and fully customised, YD One is not something users are bound to-it's something they are proud to own, a device that expands their world rather than shrinking it.
To bring YD One to market, the research team partnered with Thryv Mobility, an IIT Madras-incubated startup that will manufacture the wheelchairs locally to global benchmarks, ensuring each chair is truly bespoke and affordable to users in India and emerging markets.
