In a move that could boost first aid training in the country, IIT Madras has developed a low cost indigenous mannequin prototype, the first of its kind to be developed in India. The project born out of a PhD research of an IIT student will not only provide low cost, close to human body mannequins but also has options to be customised specifically for the Indian population.
“As of now, a high fidelity (close to reality) mannequin costs about Rs. 2 lakh and all of them are imported from abroad. Since the cost is so high, only medical colleges and other premium institutions have access to them. But the one which we developed cost us only about Rs. 10,000. At the maximum, this can come to the market at a cost of Rs. 20,000 thus making it widely available for training people in CPR and first aid,” said Professor Dr M Manivannan. He added that all the parts of the mannequins were indigenous. “This ensures that more modifications can be made to customise the mannequins in various parts of the country. All the materials are locally available,” he said. |
