Do you need to redesign the wheel? Yes, say 3 Pune engineers as a $4800 million global market beckons

The three had been friends since their diploma course at Cusrow Wadia Institute of Technology in Pune. They were trying to redesign one of humankind’s oldest inventions, the wheel, because they had become curious about it during the student competitions, SAE India Efficycle and BAJA events, where they had to build a vehicle from scratch.

“A lot of our mentors and teachers said this product was impossible. Even my parents said that it was not technically possible. We were excited as we tried to build something nobody had tried. We did not know that we would continue this after college,” says Rasal, one of the three founder-directors and chief executive officer (CEO) of the startup RUT3. Sutar is the chief technology officer (CTO), and Ettam is the chief operating officer (COO).

RUT3’s innovative wheel contains suspension inside the rim, replacing the spokes. Tested by IIT Madras, Mobility India rehabilitation centre and other experts, the wheel has been found to reduce spinal vibrations by 60 per cent in wheelchair users and give them a chance to live at least a decade longer.

Rasal, a cricketer who captained the U-16 J N Petit School team and represented the Maharashtra team in 2009, says, “In cricket, we were taught to not give up easily. The way we were built up, there was a crazy determination to win. That sportsmanship attitude kept me going as we rebuilt the wheel.”

Today, RUT3 has become a part of Startup India, with the Vibrant Gujarat award for innovation among its many honours. It was funded by Niti Ayog when it won the Atal New India Challenge 1.0 in 2021. In 2022, RUT3 emerged as the all-India winner in the social impact challenge for accessibility to win the Prosus SICA award. They were invited to the G20 meeting and were selected by the Delhi government to launch the wheel at a General Disability Camp in 2023.

The Maharashtra government placed an order for 270 wheelchairs. On April 9, the trio won a grant of Rs 11.75 lakh from HDFC Parivartan. The market in India for this innovation is estimated at $1200 million for Indian bicycles, and the global landscape is worth $4800 million for wheelchairs.

RUT3’s product list includes not only wheels but also basic and advanced wheelchairs, created with a wheelchair body matching European standards and accompanied by the company’s patented suspension wheels. Coming up are bicycles fitted with innovative wheels. “The wheel can fit into any kind of product. Our company’s vision is to go from wheelchairs to two-wheelers to drones to space rovers,” says Rasal.