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 ...

The purpose of this study was to develop a compendium of wheelchair-related physical activities. To accomplish this, we conducted a systematic review of the published energy costs of activities performed by individuals who use wheelchairs. A total of 266 studies were identified by a literature search using relevant keywords. Inclusion criteria were studies utilizing individuals who routinely us...

This paper proposes a solution to the cross-a-door problem in unknown environments for a robotic wheelchair commanded through a Human-Machine Interface (HMI). The problem is solved by a dynamic path planning algorithm implementation based on successive frontier points determination. An adaptive trajectory tracking control based on the dynamic model of the robotic wheelchair is implemented on th...

This paper presents the architecture and implementation of a tele-presence wheelchair system based on tele-presence robot, intelligent wheelchair, and touch screen technologies. The tele-presence wheelchair system consists of a commercial electric wheelchair, an add-on tele-presence interaction module, and a touchable live video image based user interface (called TIUI). The tele-presence intera...

We developed a wheelchair robot to support the movement of elderly people and specifically implemented two functions to enhance their intention to use it: speaking behavior to convey place/location related information and speed adjustment based on individual preferences. Our study examines how the evaluations of our wheelchair robot differ when compared with human caregivers and a conventional ...

The objective of this study was to compare the rolling resistance of four common manual wheelchair tires (two pneumatic and two airless solid) and the solid tires used on a commercially available force- and moment-sensing wheel. Coast-down tests were performed with a wheelchair positioned on a two-drum dynamometer. Within each of three load conditions, tire type had a significant effect on roll...

Ms. Rholing, a 45-year old mother of 2 with primary progressive multiple sclerosis, presented to the wheelchair clinic at Southern New England Rehabilitation Center for evaluation of her mobility status. Two years ago, with a prescription from her well-intentioned doctor, this unfortunate woman obtained a simple power chair that no longer meets her needs. Like 177,000 other Rhode Islanders, Ms....