BACKGROUND Lack of access to mobility for people with disabilities, particularly in less- resourced settings, continues to be widespread. Despite challenges to wheelchair delivery, the benefits to health, employment, social integration and life satisfaction are apparent. OBJECTIVES Previous studies have explored the impact of receiving a wheelchair on the lives of the users through cross-sect...

A robotic manipulator has been mounted to an electric wheelchair to assist people with disabilities. Particular emphasis has been given to the constraints and requirements for wheelchair mounting.

BACKGROUND An increasing number of older adults are procuring a wheelchair for mobility; however, the corresponding impact on related injuries, caregiver burden, and participation restriction is concerning. To inform the development of a wheelchair training program, we pursued a clearer understanding of the experience transitioning to wheelchair use for older adult users and their care provider...

There is minimal research of upper extremity joint dynamics during pediatric wheelchair mobility despite the large number of children using manual wheelchairs. Special concern arises with the pediatric population, particularly in regard to the longer duration of wheelchair use, joint integrity, participation and community integration, and transitional care into adulthood. This study seeks to pr...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a technique of pushing a wheelchair at the level of the handle bars as a method for measuring rolling resistance of wheelchair-user systems under different field conditions. Under standardized conditions on a motor driven treadmill, rolling resistance was determined using a 2D strain gauge-based push technique at the level of the handle bars and a commo...

This study determined the driving characteristics of wheelchair users during power wheelchair soccer games. Data for this study were collected at the 28th and 29th National Veterans Wheelchair Games. Nineteen veterans who were 18 years or older and power wheelchair soccer players completed a brief demographic survey and provided information about their power wheelchairs. A customized data-loggi...

Over 50 percent of manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury (SCI) are likely to develop upper-limb pain and injury. The majority of studies related to pain have implicated wheelchair propulsion as a cause. This paper draws from a large multisite trial and a long-standing research program to make specific recommendations related to wheelchair propulsion that may decrease the risk of upper...

BACKGROUND The goal of this observational study was to determine factors predictive of the type of powered mobility prescribed to veterans with disability. MATERIAL/METHODS A retrospective chart review was conducted for all veterans (n=170) who received powered mobility from a designated power mobility clinic. Logistic regression analysis was used to determined factors predictive of the type ...

PURPOSE The aim was to investigate outcomes of powered wheelchair and scooter interventions after 4-months and 1-year use regarding need for assistance when moving around, frequency of mobility-related participation, easiness/difficulty in mobility during participation, and number of participation aspects performed in everyday life. METHOD The study was a prospective cohort study, using an in...

As one of the leading method of electric wheelchairs, platoon driving using Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) has been proposed to keep constant time-headway. The platoon driving system has been widely used assuming straight roads that has good visibility, but has not been used in narrow corridor. While, the gross weight of wheelchair changes drastically depending on passenger’s weight. In this pap...