MNCs team up to help disabled as TCS, Barclays to launch rehab center

India's largest IT services company Tata Consultancy Services has teamed up with Barclays to launch a virtual platform to help children with neuro-muscular disabilities become more self-dependent. The virtual habilitation platform, TCS VHAB, will be launched at ZEP Rehabilitation Centre, Pune.

This centre, established in 2008, carries out programmes to help improve the mobility of children with locomotor disabilities. These programmes are aimed at enabling development of daily skills, self-help skills, functional skills and academics. "TCS has joined hands with Barclays to launch TCS VHAB platform at the ZEP Rehabilitation Centre in Pune...," the IT company said in a statement.

Under the partnership, REACH- the Barclays Disability and Mental Health Network, is providing the hardware and equipment, while TCS is deploying its VHAB solution, as per a regulatory filing. VHAB solution is essentially a digital assistive platform that improves physiotherapy regimen for children with locomotor disabilities due to cerebral palsy or autism.

The platform uses motion sensors, progressive analytics, gesture analysis, finger mapping and real-time simulation in an immersive VR (virtual reality) environment to develop skills that enable the children to carry out tasks closely related to real life, the statement said.

(With inputs from agencies.)