GUEST EDITORIAL - Wheelchairs and Related Technology for the Millennium

This is an exciting time to be involved with research and development related to improving the mobility and function of people with physical impairments (1) . The recent and impending technological advances promise to change their lives in potentially profound ways: the confluence of technology, biological sciences, and social change have created an environment for progress and growing acceptance of them as persons . It is also noteworthy that they represent a subatantial market force: annual expenditures for mobility-related products have reached approximately $1 billion in the United States alone. The Department of Veterans Affairs spends approximately $40 million annually on wheelchairs . Because of the market potontial and rapid advances in science, notable progress is being made. We have been developing interface devices for wheelchairs that interact with the user in natural and intuitive ways . An exciting example of this is the pushrim-activated, power-assisted wheelchair (PAPAW), a mobility device that uses the torque applied to the pushrim as the input aignal to a control system (2,3), which uses a microcontroller, amplifier, and motor to augment the torque applied by the user. This has the effect of dramatically reducing the amount of effort required for movement and leads to eevoral important implications . Potentially more people can effectively operate a PAPAW and possibly attain the function similar to that of skilled manual wheelchair propulsion, and lower forces needed PAPAW will likely reduce the incidence of repetitive strain injury among wheelchair users (4) . As PAPAWs become widely available, clinicians and scientists will be able to determine whether people propel longer distances and enjoy greater involvement in community activities (e .g., strolling in park or shopping in a mall). The lower energy cost of propelling a PAPAW should benefit people with COPD or other physiological limitations . There are also some interesting research questions surrounding motor skills training . Since the degree and form of Rory A. Cooper, PhD Director Human Engineering Research Laboratories Center of Excellence for Wheelchairs and Related Technology VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System Pittsburgh, PA 15206 Departments of Rehabilitation Science & Technology Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Mechanical Engineering University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA 15213