Nestled in the southern tip of Mumbai, Zubin Kapadia lives with his parents. The family of three are heading out to Pune in their brand new vehicle. The 46-year-old is physically and mentally differently-abled and needs some help getting around. He sits in a wheelchair as we take the elevator to the ground floor. The car is ready for the long drive but with a small change. You see, Zubin struggles with something as basic as ingress and egress. And to make the process is easier, Zubin's father, Mr Sohrabh Kapadia installed something called the TurnPlus assistive mechanism.
"I have a son who is differently-abled and also mentally challenged. says Mr Kapadia. "And we drive a lot between Mumbai and Pune and in order to take him around in a car, we need to have the right type of seat where he sits in the front passenger seat. Where the car was lower, it was all right for him to get in and turn around but now I have had to change my car for other reasons, and it's a little higher car."
With access becoming a problem, Mr Kapadia decided to install the Turnplus Assist. It's a swivel mechanism by Bengaluru-based start-up TrueAssist, which allows easy ingress and egress to those with special needs. It's a fairly simple device where the front seat is first removed and a custom base plate is installed at the bottom. This is followed by installing the swivel mechanism, upon which the seat is reinstalled in the same place. The mechanism allows the seat to swivel outside by almost 90 degrees. You can slide it forward or back and that makes it easier for those differently-abled to access the seat.
First introduced n 2017, TurnPlus is the brainchild of Anand Kutre and his team at TrueAssist. It's been developed indigenously in India and is a low-cost solution to some of the more complicated and more expensive alternatives that are available. The team has done about 114 installations over the years and all across the country. The device is entirely mechanical and compatible with any vehicle without the need for any structural changes. The wiring stays as it is and so do the connectors for the airbag, seatbelt and even seat ventilation. The swivel mechanism works well for the elderly, pregnant women, paralytic cases, knee-related ailments or any of such cases.
Sadly, we couldn't find any active factory-fitted systems in India that allow the ease of ingress and egress for people with disabilities. The truth is that there is still not enough innovation in this sector at large, says Kutre. In contrast, the ecosystem in the west is far more developed. Right from dedicated vehicles, devices to platforms with respect to accessibility, India has a lot of catching up to do.
In fact, knowing about a product like this took some effort. We first learnt of TurnPlus via a tweet from para-athlete Dr Deepa Malik who reached out to OEMs on social media to develop such a mechanism for people with disabilities in their respective vehicles. She tagged Mahindra Group's Anand Mahindra, Ratan Tata - Chairman Emeritus, Tata Group, and MG Motor India. TurnPlus stepped in to offer its services for the same. The start-up is now working with automakers on special projects as a result.
Even then, Kutre understands that it will not be an easy feat to accomplish. They will need to collaborate with the engineering department to offer the right kind of solutions right from the factory itself.
"As we introduced this product in the market. It was a very big challenge for us," adds Kutre. "I didn't know how to put this product on the market. Designing became easier than selling the product. Many people in India are not aware that you can go to the market and buy such products."
But the Bengaluru-based company is working to make some tangible changes in this space. It's working with the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and IIM Bangalore to draft regulations for safety standards and gain an RTO approval of its mechanism.
Kutre says, "One of the questions that we get is, is it tested, do I have some problems with the RTO. Even though we have incorporated those things in the design, it gets difficult to convince the customer since I don't have a certificate to show." With no structural changes in tow, the mechanism is safe to install in any vehicle.
The mechanism can also find use in cabs across the country. At present, only a handful of public transport systems allow easy access for people with disabilities. TrueAssist believes that the TurnPlus mechanism can make accessibility for the differently-abled more mainstream by installing them in cabs. The engineering solutions start-up is also in talks with cab aggregators for the same.
And to make the mechanism more convenient, an electrified version of the TurnPlus mechanism is currently under development. It promises height adjustability that will further add convenience at a marginal premium. While the TurnPlus swivel mechanism will set you back by Rs. 50,000, the electric version is expected to be about Rs. 20,000 higher. The company offers a three-year warranty and is also partnering with garages to make the installation easier.
For now, the TurnPlus mechanism remains one of the more affordable systems on sale. And it certainly brings a better level of accessibility for Zubin and many others. Something we hope to see more people experience in the times to come.
