The founder of R2D2, sounds familiar? you can exclude the idea of star wars’ R2D2 because this is the real deal. R2D2 is the rehabilitation Research and Device Development lab at IIT Madras headed by Dr. Sujatha Srinivasan, a Prof in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Her group aims to achieve innovation and applications in human movement-related research. They work on engineering functional assistive devices which is affordable.

Neo-Motion, a startup she co-founded to commercialise a type of wheelchair with a motorized feature for outdoor use. It has since been blooming and came out as a helping hand for the unprivileged. Their aim is to ease the accessibility and use.

She came from a family with no background in STEM and yet she was encouraged to follow her passion. From her time in school, she found herself good at mathematics and science. Therefore she followed her education naturally in the engineering field.

while doing her Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering at IIT Madras, she faced challenges as she was the only female candidate. In a stereotypical environment, people found out difficult to digest the fact about a girl being involved in mechanical engineering.

Upon moving to the US for her higher studies she worked for almost 8 years. There, she gained confidence and polished herself.

She advises all the female candidates opting for STEM to keep believing in their dreams. She emphasizes and that plenty of career options are available in the field of STEM.

In addition, in August 2021, it was a proud moment that R2D2 won “The best assistive technology initiative among educational institutes’ by Assistech Foundation.

Picture Source – IIT Madras.