IIT Madras launches YD One, India’s lightest active wheelchair

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) recently announced the launch of YD One, which the institute says is India’s lightest active wheelchair and the country’s first indigenously developed, precision‑built, mono‑tube, rigid‑frame wheelchair.

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 provides maximum strength and energy efficiency while making it easy to lift, handle and stow in cars, auto‑rickshaws or public transportation.

The wheelchair was unveiled on July 16, 2025, at the IIT Madras campus in the presence of Surgeon Vice Admiral Anupam Kapur, Nau Sena Medal, director general of hospital services for the armed forces; V. Kamakoti, director of IIT Madras; Dr. Manish Anand, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and project coordinator; Dr. Ravinder Singh, scientist at the Indian Council of Medical Research; and other dignitaries and stakeholders.

Across the world, the wheelchair is too often viewed as a universal symbol of disability, something that confines or restricts its user. That narrative, the institute says, must change. A wheelchair, when built right, 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, ill‑fitting, hospital‑style wheelchairs designed for short‑term indoor use. Those chairs make it hard to move freely and force people to be pushed by others, limiting comfort, freedom and dignity.

YD One aims to transform that reality. Built with precision‑engineered geometry and aerospace‑grade materials, it offers the kind of high‑performance, ultra‑light mobility once available only through expensive imports, but at a fraction of the cost.

Surgeon Vice Admiral Anupam Kapur, Nau Sena Medal, Director General Hospital Services (Armed Forces), said, “In IIT Madras, the innovations and the products that are coming, are coming with a heart. They are for with everyday usage and are for people who need it the most. Let me assure you that your work does not need to stay in a lab or at a prototype stage. It has to come into the real world.” 

“The Armed Forces have just been sanctioned a Centre for Advanced Research by the ICMR. They are going to be collaborating with IIT Madras and other start-ups to do the final medical validation, practical usage and the safety certification of all the innovative products that are coming out of this ecosystem,” Kapur added.

Delivering an addressing on ‘Enabling Independence,’ Surgeon Vice Admiral Anupam Kapur added, “Today, true independence means inclusion, dignity, and self-reliance for each and every citizen of this country, regardless of their background, ability and circumstances. WHO has given a figure where they say that almost 15% of the global population suffers from some form of disability. In absolute numbers, this amounts to almost 1.3 to 1.9 billion and this number is going up. It is estimated that by 2058, this will be 2.5 billion, which is a huge number.” 

Further, Surgeon Vice Admiral Anupam Kapur said, “As we get close to 100 years post-independence, we need to reflect on a deeper and a more evolving meaning of Independence for us. Independence is not merely personal, it is social, economic, and technological. It is the freedom of a visually impaired student to navigate a campus independently. Its the independence of a stroke survivor to communicate with his or her loved ones. It is the right of a rural women to access digital health. And it is the power of a veteran amputee to walk unassisted, if possible. In the armed forces, we see this pursuit of independence not in theory but we see it happening in true cases every day.” 

Congratulating the team behind YD One, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “An inclusive society is fundamental for the prosperity of our country and technology should play a crucial role in ensuring the same. This is yet another demonstration of IIT Madras’ commitment to this goal.”

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.