The Indian Institute of Technology Madras and Spark Minda Foundation have signed a technology licence agreement intended to expand the manufacture and availability of the indigenous Kadam polycentric prosthetic knee.
The non-exclusive agreement has been signed between the IIT Madras Technology Transfer Office and Spark Minda Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of automotive-component manufacturer Spark Minda.
It brings together IIT Madras’ research and rehabilitation-engineering capabilities with the Foundation’s product-development, manufacturing and outreach resources. The partnership aims to make the Kadam knee available to more people with transfemoral amputation across India.
The agreement was reported by The Hindu.
From research prototype to wider availability
Kadam was developed through the TTK Center for Rehabilitation Research and Device Development, known as R2D2, at IIT Madras, in association with the Society for Biomedical Technology.
The knee was officially launched in April 2022 following development and multicentre user testing. Mobility India in Bengaluru supported clinical trials across urban, peri-urban and rural environments and became an initial route for assessment, fitment and supply.
The new agreement with Spark Minda Foundation is non-exclusive. This distinction is important because it means the technology can be licensed through more than one route. The partnership therefore appears to expand Kadam’s manufacturing and distribution pathway rather than automatically replacing its earlier relationship with Mobility India.
Spark Minda Foundation says the agreement supports its broader objective of developing advanced indigenous prosthetic solutions and completing 50,000 prosthetic-limb fitments by 2030.
What is the Kadam knee?
Kadam is a mechanical four-bar polycentric knee intended for people with transfemoral, or above-knee, amputation. It is described by IIT Madras as India’s first indigenously developed four-bar prosthetic knee under the Make in India initiative.
A polycentric knee uses multiple linked axes rather than rotating around a single fixed hinge. The resulting instantaneous centre of rotation changes as the knee moves.
When appropriately selected, aligned and adjusted, this geometry can provide greater stance-phase stability and improved toe clearance during swing. These characteristics may be especially useful for people walking on uneven terrain or those who require additional confidence when loading the prosthetic limb.
Kadam incorporates a patented four-bar geometry under Indian Patent No. 338006. According to the IIT Madras R2D2 product information, its features include:
- Adjustable stance stability
- Friction-based swing control for different walking speeds
- Maximum knee flexion of approximately 160 degrees, subject to socket limitations
- Improved ground clearance during swing
- Compatibility with short and long transfemoral residual limbs
- A standard proximal pyramid adapter
- A distal receiver for a 30mm pylon
- Construction using aluminium alloy and stainless steel
- Design consideration for uneven surfaces and slopes
The joint uses aluminium alloy 6061-T6, SS304 stainless steel, hard-chrome-plated pins and high-fatigue-life polymer bushings. IIT Madras reports that the knee complies with ISO 10328 testing requirements for proof, ultimate and fatigue strength under the P4 loading condition.
Compliance at a particular test level should not be interpreted as universal suitability. The user’s weight, activity, functional capacity and intended environment must remain within the manufacturer’s stated specifications.
Designed around Indian mobility needs
Kadam’s development focused on the environmental, functional and economic circumstances encountered by prosthesis users in India.
Daily mobility may involve broken pavements, unpaved roads, slopes, crowded public transport and limited accessibility. High knee flexion can also be helpful when sitting in confined spaces such as buses and autorickshaws, although actual flexion remains influenced by socket design, residual-limb length and the complete prosthetic configuration.
At its original launch, IIT Madras said Kadam was intended to cost considerably less than comparable imported polycentric knees while meeting international structural-testing requirements.
This combination of local engineering, appropriate function and lower cost represents an important approach to increasing assistive-technology access. However, affordability must extend beyond the initial component price. Long-term value also depends on availability of spare parts, clinician training, maintenance, warranty support and timely replacement.
Role of Spark Minda Foundation
Spark Minda brings substantial experience in automotive-component engineering, precision manufacturing and production scale-up.
Although prosthetic components have different regulatory, quality and clinical requirements from automotive products, manufacturing expertise can help improve process control, material consistency, testing, traceability and production capacity.
Spark Minda Foundation Chairperson Sarika Minda described the agreement as a step towards an ecosystem in which academic innovation, industrial capability and social responsibility work together to create accessible solutions.
Professor Sujatha Srinivasan, head of the National Centre for Assistive Health Technologies and IIT Madras R2D2, led the development of Kadam. She said the centre welcomed collaboration with partners who believe people with disabilities should have access to technologies supporting independence.
For the partnership to translate into successful patient outcomes, manufacturing scale will need to be matched by a structured clinical implementation programme.
Clinical fitment remains essential
A prosthetic knee is only one element of a transfemoral prosthesis. Its performance depends on appropriate patient selection and integration with the socket, suspension, foot, adapters and overall alignment.
The prosthetist must consider:
- Residual-limb condition and strength
- Hip range of motion and contractures
- Balance and cognitive capacity
- Sound-limb health
- Body weight
- Walking speed and activity level
- Home and community environment
- Ability to control a mechanical knee
- Access to training and follow-up
The knee must then be assembled, bench-aligned, statically assessed and dynamically adjusted for the individual user. Stance stability and swing resistance should not be treated as fixed factory settings suitable for everyone.
Physiotherapy and gait training are also important, particularly for new users learning to load the prosthesis, initiate knee flexion, achieve safe toe clearance and manage uneven surfaces.
Component distribution without qualified assessment and follow-up would not deliver the full value of the technology.
Significance for indigenous assistive technology
India has produced many promising assistive-technology prototypes, but relatively few complete the difficult transition from academic development to consistent manufacturing and widespread clinical availability.
A non-exclusive licensing strategy can help address this gap by allowing multiple capable organisations to manufacture or distribute a technology, subject to the licence terms and required quality controls.
The Kadam partnership provides an important example of how engineering institutions, clinical organisations, industry and CSR programmes can collaborate. Its success should be evaluated not only by the number of knees manufactured or distributed, but through outcomes such as:
- First-fit success
- Falls and safety events
- Walking ability
- Patient satisfaction
- Component reliability
- Maintenance requirements
- Continued prosthesis use
- Participation in education, employment and community life
The agreement gives Kadam a new opportunity to reach scale. For India’s CPO community, the next priority will be ensuring that expansion remains clinician-led, evidence-informed and supported by training, servicing and long-term patient care.
- The Hindu: IIT Madras and Spark Minda Sign Agreement on Prosthetic Knee
- IIT Madras: Original Kadam Launch Announcement
- IIT Madras R2D2: Kadam Prosthetic Knee
- Spark Minda Foundation
- Mobility India
- Society for Biomedical Technology