To support safe self-movement of the disabled and the aged, we developed an electric wheelchair that realizes the functions of detecting both the potential hazards in a moving environment and the postures and gestures of a user by equipping an electric wheelchair with the stereo omnidirectional system (SOS), which is capable of acquiring omnidirectional color image sequences and range data simu...

Significant numbers of wheelchair users experience difficulties with propulsion due to impaired upper limb function (termed marginal users for this study). A survey of wheelchair users in Tayside, Scotland, was carried out to identify and describe the marginal user population and their propulsion difficulties. Subjects for the survey were identified from the records of National Health Service w...

This paper presents a human machine interface (HMI) for hands-free control of an electric powered wheelchair (EPW) based on head movements and facial expressions detected by using the gyroscope and ‘cognitiv suite’ of an Emotiv EPOC device, respectively. The proposed HMI provides two control modes: 1) control mode 1 uses four head movements to display in its graphical user interface the control...

Wheelchair users with brain-related problems experience involuntary extensor thrusts, which may cause injuries due to unexpected impacts with the wheelchair. An improved wheelchair design would be very beneficial to such users. This paper uses the Design Structure Matrix (DSM), which is an information exchange model that helps find the relationship between tasks in a product development process...

Compensation for the downhill turning moment of a wheelchair on a 2-degree side slope results in retarding force approximately equal to the rolling drag of a wheelchair on a level surface. The total drag force on the wheelchair while transversing a sloping surface is, therefore, roughly double the rolling drag. In contrast, the net energy cost of propulsion on this side slope is only 30 percent...

In this project, a design for a non-invasive, EEG-based braincontrolled wheelchair has been developed for use by completely paralyzed patients. The proposed design includes a novel approach for selecting optimal electrode positions, a series of signal processing algorithms and an interface to a powered wheelchair. In addition, a 3D virtual environment has been implemented for training, evaluati...

This paper introduces the Focused Stochastic Diffusion Network as a novel method of self-localisation for an autonomous wheelchair in a busy, complex environment. The space of possible positions is explored in parallel by a set of cells searching in a competitive co-operative manner for the most likely position of the wheelchair in its environment. Trials of the SENARIO autonomous wheelchair pr...

The increasing popularity of full-body motion-based video games creates new challenges for game accessibility research. Many games strongly focus on able-bodied persons and require players to move around freely. To address this problem, we introduce KINECT, a toolkit that facilitates the integration of wheelchair-based game input. Our library can help game designers to integrate wheelchair inpu...

Many elderly and disabled people experience difficulties when maneuvering an electric wheelchair. Additionally, many users are not prescribed a standard electric wheelchair because they lack the necessary cognitive skills or their impairment prevents them from steering an electric wheelchair safely. In order to expand the potential group of electric wheelchairs users and in order to make wheelc...

A foam cushion was designed for wheelchair users who propel their wheelchairs with the assistance of one lower extremity. It allows users to extend one hip to reach the ground without having to slide forward on the seat, thus maintaining a more erect posture. The cushion was evaluated to identify contraindications for its use. Eleven subjects (10 stroke patients and 1 patient with an above-the-...