Wheelchair users experience many situations that affect the stability and associated performance of their wheelchair. Stability is affected by user characteristics and abilities, environmental features and conditions, and wheelchair modification and accessories. Wheelchair prescribers need effective tools and methods to provide quantitative evaluation and prediction of the behavior of the user-...

The correct functionality of the upper limbs is an essential condition for the autonomy of people with disabilities, especially for those in wheelchair. In this review we focused on the biomechanics of wheelchair propulsion and we described the instrumental analysis of techniques for the acquisition of wheelchair propulsion.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the shoulder disease patterns for the table-tennis (TT) and archery (AR) wheelchair athletes via ultrasonographic evaluations. METHODS A total of 35 wheelchair athletes were enrolled, made up of groups of TT (n=19) and AR (n=16) athletes. They were all paraplegic patients and were investigated for their wheelchair usage duration, careers as sports players, weekly trai...

Ease of use, comfort, security, and independent use of three types of wheelchair securement systems were evaluated in a large accessible transit vehicle by 20 wheelchair and scooter users. The securement systems included a 4-point tie-down system, a prototype autodocking system, and a prototype rear-facing wheelchair passenger (RF-WP) system. Study participants took a 15-minute city ride and co...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of real time verbal feedback to optimise push arc during over ground manual wheelchair propulsion. 10 healthy non wheelchair users pushed a manual wheelchair for a distance of 25 metres on level paving, initially with no feedback and then with real time verbal feedback aimed at controlling push arc within a range of 85 ̊-100 ̊. The real t...

UNLABELLED The list of individualized needs of the wheelchair user as developed by the medical and personal profile assessment can be categorized under the general goals to be accomplished through the process of the wheelchair recommendation: MEDICAL PROFILE: MEDICAL HISTORY (1) Compensate for loss or absence of function. (2) Promote good health through prevention of problems. Physical Assess...

The user interface of existing autonomous wheelchairs concentrates on direct control of the wheelchair by the user using mechanical devices or various hand, head or face gestures. However, it is important to monitor the user to ensure safety and comfort of the user, who operates the autonomous wheelchair. In addition, such monitoring of a user greatly improves usablity of an autonomous wheelcha...

AIM Wheelchair skills are not typically provided when a child gets a new wheelchair. The purpose of this prospective pilot study was to determine the effectiveness of a two-day modified Wheelchair Skills Programme 3.2 for children. METHODS Six children (ages 6-19 years) with spinal cord injuries or spina bifida were invited to participate in a two-day wheelchair skills programme provided on s...

The Paralympic Games are the pinnacle of sport for many athletes with a disability. A potential issue for many wheelchair athletes is how to train hard to maximise performance while also reducing the risk of injuries, particularly to the shoulder due to the accumulation of stress placed on this joint during activities of daily living, training and competition. The overall purpose of this narrat...

This paper presents a simple self-paced motor imagery based brain-computer interface (BCI) to control a robotic wheelchair. An innovative control protocol is proposed to enable a 2-class self-paced BCI for wheelchair control, in which the user makes path planning and fully controls the wheelchair except for the automatic obstacle avoidance based on a laser range finder when necessary. In order ...