Studies of manual wheelchair propulsion often assume bilateral symmetry to simplify data collection, processing, and analysis. However, the validity of this assumption is unclear. Most investigations of wheelchair propulsion symmetry have been limited by a relatively small sample size and a focus on a single propulsion condition (e.g., level propulsion at self-selected speed). The purpose of th...

Lightweight (K4) and ultra-lightweight (K5) wheelchairs are commonly used as mobility devices by pediatric manual wheelchair users. In this study, instrumented pushrims and wireless motion tracking were used to measure energy cost and shoulder flexion during manual wheelchair propulsion. Eight pediatric (age=1218 yrs) manual wheelchair users propelled a K4 and K5 wheelchair across a level tiled...

Education and training are key components of any rehabilitation program. While such services are ideally delivered in person, cost, time and travel demands often prevent clinicians from offering this level of personalized interaction. Mobility is the most prevalent area of impairment among Canadian older adults and hence a key target for such programs. Manual wheelchairs (MWCs) are a commonly u...

Wheelchair propulsion exposes the user to a high risk of shoulder injury and to whole-body vibration that exceeds recommendations of ISO 2631-1:1997. Reducing the mechanical work required to travel a given distance (WN-WPM, weight-normalized work-per-meter) can help reduce the risk of shoulder injury, while reducing the vibration transmissibility (VT) of the wheelchair frame can reduce whole-bo...

It is estimated that approximately 10% of people who are legally blind require wheelchairs [1]. Wheelchair users with visual impairments face difficulties in avoiding obstacles as well as identifying visual cues in the environment, thus making independent navigation challenging, and in some cases, impossible. The authors in [1] suggest that intelligent wheelchairs capable of collision avoidance...

Mobility has been identified as a key component of physical well-being and happiness, enabling people to interact with their surroundings. Unfortunately, the mobility and independence of many older adults is often reduced due to physical disabilities. Physically disabled older adults with cognitive impairments, such as dementia, lack the skills required to safely manoeuvre powered wheelchairs. ...

Natural language is a flexible and powerful control modality which can transform a wheelchair from a vehicle into a genuine helper. While autonomous wheelchairs are increasingly designed to use natural language for control, most of them only handle a small number of rigid commands. To establish the state-of-the-art in language-enabled wheelchairs and determine how to improve natural language ca...

The aim of this qualitative study was to gain an understanding of what people who use wheeled mobility devices (WMDs; e.g., manual and power wheelchairs, and scooters) identify as environmental barriers to community participation in cold weather climates, and to explore recommendations to overcome environmental barriers to community participation. Researchers conducted an online asynchronous fo...

Results are presented from an experimental program that recorded the outputs of strain gages mounted on two wheelchair frames (one manual, one power) as the wheelchairs were run on a double roller fatigue machine. Rectangular strain gage rosettes were attached to the frames near the cross tube center pin and on the side frame behind a front caster. Thirty data sets were recorded from each roset...