Matri: Mainstreaming Menstruation With Pain Relief
4 January 2023
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Two Bengali schoolboys used to make electronic gadgets for fun. One day in college these engineering students brainstormed about finding a solution to a common daily life problem. And they came up with Matri, a wearable electronic device to block menstrual pain—kudos, they thought about women’s problem!
In that part of the world, where even talking about menstruation is considered dirty and shameful, two innovators from Bengal, Rohan Roy and Roni Mondal, collaborated to relieve the pain of menstruating women with their unique device—Matri. But why?
Silifarm Team (L to R): Roni Mondal, CEO, Co-founder; Rohan Roy, COO, Co-founder; and Amit Dutta, CTO
Roy says, “We see our mothers and sisters facing the same problem. There are only two conventional remedies. Hot water bags, which can’t be carried in public places, and medicines have side effects. So, we brought Matri to this big and untouched market. It is a tiny, portable, rechargeable, and wearable electronic device which is completely non-invasive in nature.”
In Bengali, Matri means mother. “In your tough days, it takes care just like a mother, hence the name,” remarks Mondal.
Though their startup Silifarm Technologies was registered in 2020, the founders Roy and Mondal were working on their first, yet-to-be-launched product Matri since 2018. After improving the prototype over 12 times, it is now ready to be launched in the market in the coming months.
A model demonstrating use of Matri
It is noteworthy that the startup—working with silicon at its heart—was incubated at IIT Patna, which is providing it with much-needed infrastructural and financial support. The company has tested the product with more than 400 volunteers. Mondal says, “We received 94 per cent positive feedback.”
Coming to biology, it is inherent that the tissue structure and fat thickness vary in different parts of our body. In women’s lower abdomen, it is quite different due to the presence of the uterus.
Roy explains, “Matri generates a particular pattern of pulse that we have designed specifically for menstrual pain. Through the strings that attach to the body, the pulse travels and penetrates the skin.” It must be noted that two self-adhesive electrode gel pads stick to the lower abdomen to relieve the pain.
Mondal points out, “Pain is a signal that travels through the nerve to the brain. Matri blocks the pain pathway; thus, the pain signal doesn’t reach the brain.” A tucking hook is provided at the back of this device for easy wearability.
The device is expected to cost around ₹1,500, including two pairs of gel pads. The founders stress the high affordability of Matri in comparison to its competitors like Welme and Livia, thereby incentivising the common womanhood in Indian society. They claim that Matri provides relief within 10-15 minutes of usage.
Busy making the prototypes during college days, the boys faced the essential examination pressure. And after graduating, the employment pressure loomed large. But the founders believed that everything could be compromised on the path of entrepreneurship and refused to take up the college placement offer.
With no female teammates initially, they made the product on their own and tested it on their family members. After receiving the green signal, they took it to their friends and associates, who cooperated enough to give wings to their entrepreneurship.
Now, as the startup is gearing up to launch the product by March 2023, the team has onboarded an AIIMS gynaecologist as a medical mentor, an R&D engineer, and some interns.
By January end, Silifarm is expecting a good amount of funding from the Technology Development Board (TDB) under the Department of Science and Technology, government of India. It will boost its plan to move forth in the medical device sector, especially in the women’s health and hygiene domain, and expand the team with skilled (not necessarily qualified) individuals.
