Incidence of upper-limb overuse injuries among the manual wheelchair population has been found to be associated with hand-rim loading characteristics such as impact and peak loading on the hand rim during propulsion. One proposed method to reduce impact and peak loading is the use of a compliant hand rim, one that can displace relative to the wheel when impacted by the hand. A Variable Complian...

OBJECTIVE To examine intra-individual variability of kinetic and temporal-spatial parameters of wheelchair propulsion as a function of shoulder pain in manual wheelchair users (MWUs). DESIGN Cohort. SETTING University research laboratory. PARTICIPANTS Adults with physical disabilities (N=26) who use a manual wheelchair for mobility full time (>80% ambulation). INTERVENTIONS Participants...

An assistive robotic wheelchair system should allow its user to travel more efficiently and with greater ease. The robotic wheelchair system described in this thesis, Wheelesley, performs semi-autonomous navigation for its user, taking high-level directional commands and performing the low-level navigation required to avoid obstacles and stay on a safe path. The system consists of a standard el...

OBJECTIVE To determine the effectiveness of mobility device interventions in terms of activity and participation for people with mobility limitations. DESIGN Systematic review. Search of 7 databases during the period 1996 to 2008. METHODS Controlled studies and non-controlled follow-up studies were included if they covered both baseline and follow-up data and focused on activity and partici...

The scope of nonlicensed vehicles includes electrically powered wheelchairs, golf-cart-type vehicles, a variety of multifunctional devices, and some gasoline-engine-powered vehicles . Until several years ago, the standard nonlicensed powered vehicle was the Everest & Jennings "34" Power Drive Wheelchair (Fig . 1) . This unit has been directed to institutions and general indoor environments wher...

BACKGROUND Physical fitness levels in youth with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) who use wheelchairs are unknown. The 10-m Shuttle Ride Test (SRiT) has recently been introduced as a field test to determine cardiorespiratory fitness in children with cerebral palsy who self-propel a wheelchair. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility and reproducibility of the SRiT, ...

Wheelchairs are an important means of transportation for the elderly and disabled. However, movement wheelchairs on long curbs stairs is restricted. In this study, a wheelchair climbing was developed based mechanical transmission system that rotates entire driving part through link structure actuator to change speed. The first mode drives caterpillar, second wheels. When flat ground, it uses la...

PURPOSE Hand rim-propelled manual wheelchairs (WC) are conventionally distributed to persons with dysfunctioning lower limbs for independent ambulation in community-based rehabilitation. The purpose of the present study was to survey the fate of the donated WCs and the difficulties encountered by the users by identifying the cause of rejection, and to evaluate the performance by assessing physi...

Wheelchairs are used by the people who cannot walk due to physiological or physical illness, injury or any disability. Recent development promises a wide scope in developing smart wheelchairs. The present article presents a gesture based wheelchair which controls the wheelchair using hand movements. The system is divided into two main units: Mems Sensor and wheelchair control. The Mems sensor, ...