Interview with Abhit.K, Social Hardware

●      Please tell us about Social Hardware and what motivate you to work to address this area through products/services?

Social Hardware works with organisations to provide assistive devices and rehabilitation services to underserved communities in India & APAC regions.

On an average 23,500 Indian citizen suffer upper limb amputation every year adding to the existing growing number of 3 million arm amputees on average across the globe.
Increasing geriatric population with a high prevalence of chronic diseases, rising accidental incidences amongst developing communities is another ascending problem.

Even though almost 70% of India’s population lives in rural areas, where the highest rate of amputation occurs, the prosthetics available does not focus on hygiene, durability, distribution and cost-effectiveness. To counter these problems, Social Hardware was originated. 

●        Please tell us about your incubator experiences and R&D involved in products/services Social Hardware is offering?

For the first year of the project, we were entirely self-funded and bootstrapped our way to constructing a proof-of-concept prototype with the help of a 3D printing company in Bengaluru. After the proof-of-concept prototype was completed, we applied for incubation at iCreate International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technology in Gujarat, which provided us with the support and investment needed to set up Social Hardware International Pvt. Ltd. and start hiring full-time designers in-house. We’re also exploring additional grant and funding opportunities to expand our current operations.

●      How has the journey been so far? How are your products enabling smooth living for people with disabilities?

Our goal is to develop high-performance durable products designed to be affordable and sustainable in tough working and living conditions using concepts of the generative study, soft-robotics, miniature sensors. Our products are designed using Autodesk Fusion 360 3D CAD software, which has made it incredibly easy to prepare the product for prototyping and design for manufacturing.

We work in collaboration with the centres to provide a four-stage rehabilitation package, which involves various rehabilitation procedures, co-design workshops with the users to involve them in our development process.

Currently, we have three product verticals Avocado Wrist Connector, SH_Object holder, Electric powered UL prosthesis.

We currently have two products available for the market.

SH_Object holder is an upgraded version of "universal cuff", made from a proprietary flexible material. The product offers durability, flexibility, easy-to-fit features amongst others, holding the potential to change the lives of people suffering from cerebral palsy, transmetacarpal amputation and other hand mobility-related sufferings.

The avocado wrist connector is a lightweight prosthetic wrist which can be connected to any adult prosthesis socket, it’s an AI-design based mechanical adaptor allows connecting any agro-construction based tool that is used in the field. The goal with the Avocado wrist connector is to bring back the livelihood of the amputees belonging from the worker-class. 

 

●      How do you see opportunities for Disabled in the country and what measures can be taken to enhance sustainable careers?

It is great to notice differently-abled people being involved in so many multi-national companies, there is still a huge potential where more people can be enrolled into a different level of programs, there are already designated seats for enrollment however seeing the ascend in cases of disability the requirement is more than before.

More of differently-abled people are starting their own venture which is very promising as this will motivate others to do something go and better than the rest of the population.

 

●      What role do you think is getmeenabled.com online store playing in the space of accessibility.

In this day and age, we require an e-commerce platform like getmeenabled.com as it allows the makers, companies working across the globe in the assistive device space to be connected with organisations, individual users around the world looking for different assistive devices.

This not only makes the world a small place for makers and users but provide quick access to products and a positive assistive device ecosystem. The platform brings the commercial and social impact space together which is required in our social entrepreneurship ecosystem.