Archive · 9 Nov 2025
Engineer Creates Wheelchair With Built-in Toilet to Restore Dignity
Imagine a special wheelchair that not only helps people move around but also has its own toilet built-in!
A young engineer named Sruthi Babu saw how sad and embarrassed an elderly man felt needing help to use the toilet.
This made her want to invent something to help.
She worked with her dad, trying many times to get it just right.
Their invention, called Sahayatha, has a little toilet and a cleaning spray, like a bidet, so people can clean themselves privately.
It can even turn into a stretcher!
This invention helps people feel more independent and less embarrassed, giving them back their dignity.
It's already helped hundreds of people live more comfortably.
Sruthi Babu, a 27-year-old biomedical engineer, invented Sahayatha, a wheelchair with a built-in toilet and cleaning system.
The invention was inspired by witnessing the embarrassment of a paralyzed man needing assistance to use the toilet.
Sahayatha features a bidet-like cleaning system, a removable waste container, and can convert into a stretcher.
The design went through 118 iterations and is patented in over 140 countries.
The wheelchair aims to restore independence, dignity, and reduce the number of caretakers needed for users.
- Who
- Sruthi Babu, a 27-year-old biomedical engineer, and her father, K K Babu
- What
- Developed Sahayatha, the world's first wheelchair with a built-in, self-cleaning toilet system and a stretcher conversion feature.
- When
- The idea was sparked by an observation in a hospital, and the product has since helped over 300 people.
- Where
- Developed in Coimbatore, India.
- Why
- To restore dignity, independence, and confidence to individuals with mobility issues, addressing the embarrassment and dependence associated with basic bodily functions.
- Inventor
- Sruthi Babu
- Product Name
- Sahayatha
- Key Feature
- Wheelchair with integrated toilet and cleaning system
- Iterations
- 118
- Patent Status
- Patented in over 140 countries
- Beneficiaries
- Over 300 people