S Saravana Muthu, a 42-year-old welding labourer from Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, won the second prize at National Innovation Foundation-India of the Department of Science and Technology for his ‘remote-operated toilet bed’.
His invention includes a metal bed that has a flush tank attached. It comes with a closet and an opening in the middle of the bed that can be piped to a septic tank. The bed is operated with a remote control that is also attached to the bed and it has three buttons. The first is to open the shutter, the second is for the closet to be in place and the third is used to flush the toilet.
According to Muthu, he strived to develop the bed after his wife got bedridden for a couple of months following surgery in 2014. The model cot is designed to be handled by bedridden individuals. He told TOI,
“I understood the pain of bedridden patients then. They have to depend on someone and not in all cases they have someone who does the caregiver’s job without showing signs of disgust. Such dependence affects the privacy of patients. So I thought of this solution to ensure their dignity and independence is protected.”
He received the award on March 15 from President Ram Nath Kovind. It included Rs 2 lakh in cash prize and reimbursement of Rs 35,000.
