The Indian Institute of Technology – Madras (IIT-M) has received an order for two products made in its start-up cell Merkel Haptics. The order from a Singapore-based firm to transfer technology used in the products is valued at about Rs 6.37 crore ($1 million) and may turn out to be a key component when it comes to clinical training of professionals.
The two products are Laparoscopy Surgical Simulator with Haptics Feedback and In-Vitro Fertilisation Training Simulation with Haptics Feedback and these are used to train professionals on virtual patients before they work on actual patients, reported the Times of India.
IIT-M's technology is likely to make quite a mark in the market as it is much more reasonable at about Rs 30-35 lakh compared to the high-end simulators with similar functionalities that cost about Rs 2 crore in the international market.
"The Touch Lab is unique and the only touch lab in India. This project started when I visited CMC Vellore. I was watching how laproscopic surgery was done. The idea of a laparoscopy surgical simulator with haptics feedback was converted into a PhD thesis and a prototype was developed in the lab in five years. It was then taken to the company (Merkel) to develop it into a product to make it commercially viable," Prof M Manivannan, the founder and principal investigator at the lab, told TOI.
The project received Rs 60 lakh from the government and CMC Vellore is said to have carried out the validation process of the technology, after which it was patented in 2012-13.
Speaking about the benefits of the technology, Manivannan explained that clinical training often involves actual patients, which is a risky affair as the professionals working on these patients are still learning the process, which also leaves some room for error. With the new technology, this risk gets cancelled out.
"The Medical Council of India has made skill labs mandatory. But this virtual technology with haptics feedback is not available in India and foreign companies are making a lot of money," Manivannan added.
Meanwhile, Merkel Haptic Systems Pvt Ltd CEO P B C Paul said that the product also does not require much of after sales service. He said this was also "a much better technology and (the need for) after-sales support is almost negligible."
