Few people make their way, create their own destinies, and never settle for less. Instead, these men with vision are wired to make a difference in the world; they are destined to make the earth a better place for those who are often looked over or sidelined. One such person who has constantly given back to society is noble-hearted Tej Kohli, who has been involved in various philanthropic projects. One of these philanthropic projects is ‘Tej Kohli Future Bionics.’
What Is Tej Kohli’s Future Bionics?
Mr Tej Kohli partnered with Bristol-based company Open Bionics, a pioneer in robotics. He has aimed to fund bionic arms for British children. Open Bionics has developed and built low-cost bionic arms for children, known as the ‘Hero Arms.’ The USP of these prosthetic limbs is they can be controlled using the signals generated by the muscles. This allows the child to have multi-grip superior functionality with these bionic arms and the ability to perform their everyday life.
Unlike the traditional prosthetic arms, where the movement was limited and required help from others, these arms can be personalised. The colourful and different bionic arms are 3D printed, reducing costs. Also, the non-traditional look of the arms makes it well-accepted among the children and their peers without getting ostracised.
Start of The Journey With Low-Cost Prosthetic Arm In India
Like Tej Kohli, who has pledged to donate to ‘Future Bionics’ through the #FutureBionics program so the company can support young people. Here is Prashant Gade from Madhya Pradesh’s Khandwa district. This 27-year-old man is an innovator and entrepreneur.
Despite enrolling in an electrical engineering course at an Indian college, his dream of being an innovator remained indomitable. Soon after discovering that India’s education system did not align with his vision, he dropped out. Luckily, he found an ad on Facebook about a robotic course supported by the Center of Bits and Atoms of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
During the course, he came across an inspiring story of a man making his own bionic arm, and Gade started creating a prototype. Once again, his path was crossed with a Severn-years old girl who didn’t have both arms from birth. Prashant wanted to give the girl his prototype. But the price of creating a pair was exorbitant, about INR 24 lakhs (£22,671). Furthermore, the kid would be growing, so changing the pair at that price every second year was impossible.
Gade Find A Way Like Tej Kohli
This never-give-up attitude of entrepreneur Tej Kohli can be witnessed in Prashant Gade. When Gade started looking for funding, he was refused, but that did not stop him. Finally, his idea impressed the Technical Secretary Of Jaipur Foot, who gave him a grant to start his prototypes.
In 2016, his work was recognised in the US, and he was invited to the country to present his prototype. Gade was gifted ten machines. He now has quite a few donors who want to remain anonymous. Gade’s invention, Inali Arms, can produce the most affordable bionic arms in India at a price of INR 50,000 (£472.32).
In the last few years, 700 arms have been distributed free, while 300 are sold across India. Furthermore, Inali Arms can mimic the gestures and postures of biological arms because it takes the signal from the brain instead of the muscles. So, with this bionic arm, a person can control and use the fingers with shoulder thrusts and gestures.
At present, Gade understands that in India, even spending (£472.32) is a lot, so he is on a mission to donate 1,500 Inali arms for free, where 85 per cent of 40,000 people who lose their arms live without any solutions.
Tej Kohli & Prashant Gade Making A Better World
Whether angel investor Tej Kohli is donating to Future Bionics or Prashant Gade is working with Inali Arms, both are on the path to creating a sustainable future for the children. In a true sense, they are creating the iron men and women of the world, who can live up to their potential and not be hindered by their disabilities.