DTMT Network
PUNE: Tata Consultancy Services has announced a partnership with Barclays, a transatlantic consumer and wholesale bank, to help children with neuro-muscular disabilities.

Barclays is providing the hardware and equipment while TCS is deploying and supporting its Virtual Habilitation solution.

Virtual Habilitation is a digital assistive solution conceptualized, designed and developed by TCS to significantly improve the physiotherapy regimen for kids with locomotor disabilities due to cerebral palsy or autism.

The solution uses motion sensors, gesture analysis, progressive analytics, finger mapping and real-time simulation in an immersive VR environment to create a series of personalized simulated environments that kids can interact with in a gamified environment and develop skills that will allow them to carry out tasks closely related to real life.

The project was launched at ZEP rehabilitation centre in Pune by Sean Dunphy, Senior MD, Barclays and Anita Nanadikar, Head-Incubation, Research and Innovation, TCS.

Virtual Habilitation is already being successfully used by over 500 students across three schools for children with special needs. The results have been positive with the kids exhibiting a visible increase in their concentration, attention and other learning skills.

Sean Dunphy, Senior MD, Barclays, said, “It is a great example of two global firms, Barclays and TCS, coming together to leverage their core expertise to make a positive difference for the communities that we live and operate in.”

K Ananth Krishnan, Chief Technology Officer, TCS, said, “We are working to expand the Virtual Habilitation 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 kids.”