One can but imagine the challenges of differently abled people, and admire their tenacity in dealing with the pressures of their situation. Often, most of us don’t entirely appreciate this. And the complexity of their challenges and trauma is only compounded, when the loss of a faculty is caused by an accident or illness.
Soften (Social Forum to Enable the Needy), the body of volunteers from Infosys Mysuru, India, has always been sensitive to the differently abled, and for six years now, has partnered with local non-profits to secure funds for and donate artificial limbs to those in need but economically constrained. Most recently, in early 2016, Soften donated over 140 artificial limbs.
Speaking at the event organized to facilitate the distribution, Shaji Mathew, head of the Infosys development center, Mysuru, highlighted the great advances humanity has made in the field of artificial intelligence and how artificial limbs can now be engineered to respond to instructions from the human body. In fact, Infosys is investing significantly in learning and research in the domains of artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Infosys volunteer, M Avinash Puranik, efficiently coordinated this program in tandem with several colleagues who made generous contributions in terms of resources and time.