A wheelchair that can help a patient exercise their leg without electricity, batteries or expensive rehabilitation equipment has emerged as one of the winning ideas at the first India-Israel Hackathon. Developed by young innovators in Israel, the device uses the natural movement of a wheelchair’s front wheel to move the user’s leg. Instead of adding another power source to rehabilitation equipment, the wheelchair itself provides the movement needed for assisted exercises.
According to PTI and various media, the device was among the winning projects at the first India-Israel Hackathon, recently held under the theme “Restorative Healthcare”. The event that concluded on August 14, brought together around 1,300 students and other participants from India and Israel to work on 14 healthcare challenges. India’s Ambassador to Israel, JP Singh, honoured the winners.
How does the wheelchair-powered device work?
The Israeli team designed a device that can be fitted to a wheelchair and connected to its front wheel. As the wheelchair moves and its front wheel turns, that movement is used to assist the movement of the user’s leg. The system does not depend on electricity.
That makes the concept particularly interesting for rehabilitation, where repeated assisted movement can be an important part of recovery. For patients who may not have access to sophisticated rehabilitation machines, a device that draws its power from the wheelchair itself could offer a more accessible alternative.
Why the idea matters
Rehabilitation equipment can be expensive, and powered devices may not always be practical in every setting. The team’s approach tackles that problem by using something that is already part of the patient’s mobility. It is the movement of the wheelchair.
Instead of requiring a separate motor or electricity supply, the device turns the wheelchair’s mechanical movement into assisted leg movement. The result is a rehabilitation concept built around low cost, simplicity and portability.
The project was developed as part of the hackathon’s wider effort to find practical healthcare solutions rather than purely theoretical ideas.
India team builds video-based recovery tracker
Image Courtesy: X/India in Israel@indemtel
The wheelchair-powered device was one of the winning ideas from the Israeli side. On the Indian side, a winning team developed a different rehabilitation technology. According to PTI, the Indian team created a system that uses live video and automatic movement tracking to analyse how an injured patient’s limbs move.
The system can compare the patient’s movements with those of healthy people, helping track recovery, identify areas that need more work and give doctors information that could help them plan more personalized treatment.
While the two projects use very different technologies, both are aimed at the same problem: making rehabilitation more practical and responsive to individual patients.
1,300 young innovators work on healthcare problems
Image Courtesy: X/India in Israel@indemtel
The first India-Israel Hackathon was conceived by Ori Kadvil, a member of the Indian Jewish community in Israel, with other community members helping organise the event. The healthcare theme focused on practical, low-cost solutions that could improve rehabilitation and quality of life.
Problem statements were collected from hospitals, start-ups and universities in both countries. There were four challenges from Israel and 10 from India. Around 1,300 students and other participants worked in mixed India-Israel teams on the 14 problem statements, PTI reported.
The competition was conducted in rounds. Participants were first introduced to the healthcare challenges and the healthcare systems of both countries. Teams were then formed and worked on their ideas with guidance from mentors and experts. The final round was an extended innovation sprint, ending with teams presenting their solutions to judges.
From hackathon idea to real-world use
The organisers now hope some of the projects can move beyond the competition. Several solutions developed during the hackathon showed potential for further testing, with some teams already exploring commercial applications, according to the Indian embassy.
The Indian mission said the hackathon also strengthened people-to-people ties between India and Israel and demonstrated how young innovators from both countries could work together on solutions with wider social benefits. The embassy has said it looks forward to supporting future editions of the initiative.
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