In a modest laboratory in Hyderabad, a team led by Padma Shri recipient Dr. Krishnamurty Balasubramanian is quietly pursuing what many would consider impossible: developing a fully functional artificial heart using indigenous Indian technology. Speaking to local media, responding to Padma award recently, he revealed that the project is no longer a distant dream but an active engineering and clinical endeavour already taking shape.
“We are building it the way you would develop a rocket engine or a satellite component,” Dr. Balasubramanian explained to the Telugu media. The Director of the Nonferrous Materials Technology Development Centre (NFTDC) emphasized that the artificial heart project is being approached with the same rigorous methodology his team applies to aerospace components: defining extreme operating conditions, choosing space-grade medically compatible alloys, and subjecting prototypes to relentless testing and redesign cycles.
The initial target, Dr. Balasubramanian clarified, is not to replace the human heart outright but to create a robust standby artificial heart capable of supporting patients in critical condition—those awaiting donor hearts or experiencing sudden cardiac collapse. “It must be reliable, biocompatible, affordable, and manufacturable in India,” he said. “That four-point checklist governs every design decision we make.”
The Kalam Legacy: Science as National Responsibility
Asked about the driving force behind his multidisciplinary work, Dr. Balasubramanian pointed to his mentor, the late Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. “Working under Dr. Kalam fundamentally rewires your priorities,” he told reporters. “He taught us that science is not an abstract pursuit; it is a national responsibility.”
According to Dr. Balasubramanian, every project undertaken at NFTDC is evaluated against two Kalam-inspired questions: Does it make India safer, stronger, and more self-reliant? Does it improve the life of an ordinary citizen, not just fill a shelf with reports? This philosophy, he said, explains the centre’s unusual breadth—from cryogenic rocket engines to dialysis machines, from defence materials to knee implants.
Breaking the Dialysis Dependency
Beyond the artificial heart, Dr. Balasubramanian’s team is tackling another healthcare crisis: the burden of kidney dialysis. “For families of kidney patients, dialysis is not a technical word, it is a monthly terror,” he said, describing the logistical and financial strain on patients who must travel to centres several times a week for hours-long treatments.
NFTDC is developing miniaturized, portable dialysis devices designed to free patients from hospital dependency. Using advanced filters and materials originally refined for space and defence applications, the team aims to make treatment possible in outpatient or near-home settings. “The end goal is simple to describe and very hard to achieve: a dialysis solution that is as routine and manageable as taking medicine at home instead of a near-permanent hospital sentence,” Dr. Balasubramanian explained.
The focus on indigenous manufacturing, he added, is deliberate. “Today, much of the consumables and equipment are imported. We focus on Indian-made membranes, pumps, housings, and control systems, cut from the same high-grade materials we use in aerospace.” This approach, he noted, dramatically lowers the lifetime cost of treatment.
Space-Grade Metals for Human Bodies
Dr. Balasubramanian’s team is also adapting titanium, cobalt-based alloys, and other materials typically used in rockets and aircraft into medical implants—knee joints, cancer-related bone replacements, and other orthopedic devices. “Space-grade is not a marketing term; it reflects performance under unforgiving conditions,” he said.
For medical implants, the priorities are biocompatibility, mechanical endurance through millions of loading cycles, and affordability. “What is the use of the perfect implant if a typical Indian family cannot afford it?” he asked. By developing and producing these materials within India, costs drop substantially. “The moral equation is clear: if we can make metal survive a launch to space, we can make it serve a patient for decades—and at a humane price.”
From Cryogenic Engines to Rare-Earth Magnets
While Dr. Balasubramanian’s medical innovations capture public imagination, his contributions to India’s space and defence capabilities form the institutional backbone of NFTDC. The centre develops cryogenic engine materials that survive both deeply cold fuels and red-hot combustion zones, aerospace components for high-speed flight and re-entry, and specialized alloys for defence applications.
A particular point of pride, he said, is NFTDC’s role in establishing indigenous production of rare-earth magnets, crucial for electric vehicle motors, certain defence systems, and high-performance industrial equipment. “Until recently, much of the world was heavily dependent on a small number of countries for such magnets,” he noted. “By developing Indian capability here, we are quietly but decisively increasing our strategic autonomy.”
The centre has also contributed to international scientific collaborations, including the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) fusion energy project, developing First Wall Materials, Beam Line Components, and Divertor subsystems for ITER-India.
The Export Vision: From Buyer to Seller
When asked about India’s technological future, Dr. Balasubramanian spoke of transforming the country from a technology importer to an exporter. “No country with India’s talent should be importing the majority of its implants, stents, dialysis machines, and artificial organs,” he said. “Once we prove reliability and safety at global standards, there is no reason our devices cannot be exported to other nations facing similar cost pressures.”
His vision encompasses three layers: strategic self-reliance in space, defence, and critical infrastructure; healthcare sovereignty through indigenous medical devices; and exporting finished, high-value products rather than raw materials. “Historically we exported raw minerals and basic metals and then imported finished high-tech products at a premium,” he observed. “The future is the reverse: we will export finished, high-value devices—from aerospace components to medical equipment.”
Padma Shri: A Symbol, Not a Finish Line
Receiving the Padma Shri in 2025, Dr. Balasubramanian acknowledged the honor as recognition of an entire ecosystem of Indian engineers, technicians, doctors, and researchers “who refuse to accept that high-end technology must always be imported.” For young students, he said, the award sends a message: “You can work on rockets or artificial organs without leaving India. Your lab can change both science and society.”
Rather than viewing the Padma Shri as a culmination, Dr. Balasubramanian described it as “a signal to push harder, to convert more lab prototypes into everyday tools in hospitals, vehicles, and spaceports.” The award, he added, has only increased his sense of responsibility.
Advice to Young Scientists
Asked what message he would offer to aspiring scientists and engineers, Dr. Balasubramanian emphasized three principles. First, choose problems that matter. “The world does not need another social media app as urgently as it needs a dialysis machine that a village farmer can afford,” he said.
Second, learn to think across boundaries. “Do not trap yourself in labels like ‘I am only a mechanical engineer’ or ‘I am only a doctor.’ The artificial heart exists because medicine, engineering, metallurgy, electronics, and policy all sit at one table.”
Third, remember that world-class work can be done on Indian soil, addressing Indian challenges. “The patients in our hospitals and the missions on our launch pads are not ‘lesser’ problems. They are among the hardest and noblest problems you can choose.”
Reflecting on the arc of his career, Dr. Balasubramanian observed that India has moved from asking “Can we do it?” to declaring “We will do it here, and we will do it well.” If his work on artificial hearts, dialysis devices, and space-grade implants demonstrates anything, he concluded, it is that transformation.
- Balakrishna Pambala
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DR. KRISHNAMURTY BALASUBRAMANIAN AT A GLANCE
Position: Director, Nonferrous Materials Technology Development Centre (NFTDC), Hyderabad
Recognition: Padma Shri (2026) for Science & Engineering (Materials Science)
Mentor: Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
Key Projects: Artificial heart development, portable dialysis technology, medical implants (knee joints, cancer-related bone replacements), cryogenic engine materials, aerospace components, rare-earth magnet production, ITER fusion reactor components
Philosophy: “Science is not an abstract pursuit; it is a national responsibility” (Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam)
Vision: Transform India from technology importer to exporter of high-value medical and aerospace hardware
