India-Made Prosthetic Foot Unveiled at AIIMS

Hyderabad: In a significant push under the Make in India initiative, AIIMS Bibinagar and the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), DRDO, jointly unveiled the ADIDOC Foot Prosthesis—an indigenously developed, optimised carbon foot prosthesis—on Monday.

The ADIDOC foot (AIIMS Bibinagar–DRDL, DRDO Indigenously Developed Optimised Carbon foot) was unveiled on the institute’s campus by Dr G.A. Srinivasa Murthy, director of DRDL, and Dr Ahanthem Santa Singh, executive director of AIIMS Bibinagar. Praveen Kumar, chairman and managing director of the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO), attended the event virtually.

Prosthetic limbs are critical assistive devices and are listed among the five priority products urgently needed worldwide. However, India has long depended on costly imported carbon foot prostheses, placing them out of reach for most due to prohibitive pricing. The ADIDOC foot seeks to bridge this gap by offering a durable, functional and affordable alternative for lower limb amputees.

Capable of supporting up to 125 kg, the prosthesis is designed for active users (K3-level), providing high performance for daily activities. It comes in three variants tailored to patients of different weights and includes a specialised model offering comfort for individuals with longer below-knee stumps.

The objective is to deliver world-class quality at a lower price, reduce dependency on imports and improve access to high-performance prosthetics for Indians—thereby promoting social and economic inclusion for persons with disabilities.

The project brought together scientists from DRDL, DRDO and orthopaedic specialists from AIIMS Bibinagar. Prototype manufacturing and biomechanical testing support were provided by Ramesh Aerospace Products and Services Pvt. Ltd., Vijayawada.