As part of the partnership, REACH – the Barclays Disability and Mental Health Network,will provide hardware and equipment, while TCS will deploy and support its VHAB solution
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a global IT services, consulting and business solutions organisation, has joined hands with Barclays to launch the TCS VHAB (Virtual Habilitation) solution at the ZEP Rehabilitation Centre in Pune, to help children with neuro-muscular disabilities become more self-dependent.
As part of the partnership, REACH – the Barclays Disability and Mental Health Network, is providing the hardware and equipment, while TCS is deploying and supporting its VHAB solution. The initiative was launched at ZEP rehabilitation centre in Pune by Sean Dunphy, Senior MD, Barclays and Anita Nanadikar, Head-Incubation, Research and Innovation, TCS.
VHAB is a digital assistive solution conceptualised, designed and developed by TCS to significantly improve the physiotherapy regimen for children with locomotor disabilities due to cerebral palsy or autism. The solution uses motion sensors, progressive analytics, gesture analysis, finger mapping and real-time simulation in an immersive VR environment to create a series of personalised simulated environments that children can interact with in a gamified environment and develop skills that will enable them to carry out tasks closely related to real life.
VHAB is already being successfully used by over 500 students across three schools for children with special needs. The results have been positive with the children exhibiting a visible increase in their attention, concentration and other learning skills.
Speaking at the launch of this programme, Sean Dunphy, Senior MD, Barclays, said, “This is the start of an exciting journey towards making a difference in the lives of India’s specially-abled population, with the aim to replicate globally. It is a great example of two global firms coming together to leverage their core expertise to make a positive difference for the communities that we live and operate in.”
“With advancements in motion sensing technologies, wearables and gamification, digital technology solutions are increasingly transforming wellness and healthcare. TCS has been at the forefront of innovation that uses these technologies to make a real impact in the lives of people,” said K Ananth Krishnan, Chief Technology Officer, TCS. “We are working to expand the VHAB solution to further address the full scale of the autism spectrum and are glad to partner with Barclays as we take this unique programme to more children.”
ZEP Rehabilitation Centre, an NGO established in 2008, runs specially designed programmes to help improve the mobility of children with locomotor disabilities. These programmes enable the development of daily skills, self-help skills, functional skills and academics and is made available to all children irrespective of their socio-economic status.