This man’s innovation of cane prosthetic legs for differently-abled sure gives them the wings

Taking social entrepreneurship up a notch, Arun Joshua Cherian recently launched his venture riselegs.com in Bangalore. The young scientist’s noble concept that provides light weight and cost-effective cane prosthetic limbs to leg amputees is just a couple of months old and, yet, doing the rounds. People from different quarters like sports, martial arts and performing arts in the city are embracing his innovation with a hope to keep pace with the able-bodied world.

The innovator-entrepreneur talks to us about how he stumbled upon the life-changing Rise Legs:

He calls it an epiphany. Admittedly, we all experience it at some point in our life. And it struck Arun when he came to India last September for his sister’s wedding. The cane furniture that decked up their house was more than just a piece of décor to him. “The legs of the furniture spurred me to create a blueprint of prosthetic limb using cane as the base material,” says Arun, who has specialized in Wearable Robotics. So, the idea was conceived then and there. And it didn’t take long for his ingenuity to finally come up with Rise Legs.

While working as a Research Scholar at the Human Engineering Lab, University of California, Berkeley, he designed a wearable exoskeletal suit which costs at around Rs 80 lakh. “But how many can afford that in India? So, my main was to make it cost-effective. Cane being easily available throughout the country and the world, I carried my experiments further with it,” says the young gun.

International Committee of the Red Cross is also lending him a hand in this humble endeavor.

Why Rise Legs?

Weight: They are two-six times lighter than similarly priced prostheses.

Efficiency: They are biomechanically efficient for locomotion due to elastic storage of energy.

Skin texture: They look realistic with digitally matched skin tone

Value: With a starting price of Rs. 10,000, they are cost effective. However, the price varies according to the type of product you opt for. “This is not charity, but a viable business,” affirms the entrepreneur.

Type: Sourced from indigenous cane species, they are renewable. Currently they come in four forms: Basic Rise Leg, Cosmetically Foam Covered Rise Leg, Rise Leg with Digitally Printed Skin Texture, Rise Leg with Artwork which can be worn as a fashion statement too.

How authentic are they?

The machine testing for the equipment was done at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Further tests were carried at Christ Medical College, Vellore and St. John’s Medical College, Bangalore. The product (lower limb prosthesis) is in the process of acquiring an ISO 10328 certification.

Are there any takers?

Parveen, a budding dancer, Madhusudhan, an athlete who is also popularly dubbed as the ‘blade runner’ of the city, Arun, an aspiring pugilist are among the few who are using Rise Legs. “Number is never a concern. Because this is not just a scientifically approved product for me but a medium of empowerment,” he says and cites examples of his beneficiaries who are trying to make their mark.

“Madhusudhan lost both his legs in a train accident when he was just 13. He was using prostheses that weighed 4 kgs. I styled a pair for him which is only a little above a kilogram and costs much less than what he paid for the previous one. Now, he is running wearing them. Hope, that helps him cherish his dream of becoming a sprinter,” says Arun.

Clealy, for the entrepreneur it’s not a buy-and-sell platform. For him, it’s an interface to help the not-so-able-bodied compete with their able-bodied counterparts. That’s why Arun never treats the beneficiaries as mere customers. He continues building up the bond between him and his subjects.

“We have undertaken three projects on dance, martial arts and sports in association with professionals from respective groups which will help aspiring candidates in making their dreams come true,” he beams.

Want to shake a leg with Rise Legs? You can contact  Arun at arun@riselegs.com or can also give him a buzz on 9741030803.