Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Wheelchair'
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Li, Yiran. "Height adjustable wheelchair seat design." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/44767.
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Full time wheelchair users are at a height disadvantage during many function activities, such as transferring or reaching. Retrieving objects from the ground or a higher shelf while seated in the wheelchair can be both difficult and unsafe. Lateral transfers between surfaces at different heights can be difficult and unsafe. Sit-to-stand transfers are made simpler with a higher seat. This research project seeks to assist reach and transfers by designing a system to raise and lower a wheelchair seat over a 4'' range.
The project included several needs assessment: 1) by conducting interviews and surveys, identify design needs from different stakeholder groups; 2) analysis of stakeholder groups' feedback and synthesis into design criteria; and 3) creation of design concepts for the adjustable height wheelchair seat; 4) evaluation of the design by setting up heuristic evaluation criteria and perform user testing; 5) design revision design based on user's performance and feedback. The design process included fabricating and testing of various concepts, validating design through user testing, and addresses technology transfer of the device.
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Svensson, Niklas, and Anna Kowalska. "Development of a Wheelchair loading device : For manual wheelchairs." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för maskinteknik (MT), 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-44881.
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With an increasing globalization, companies are forced to develop new products. That is why product development process is successfully used in companies all over the world. The main reason is to stay ahead of the competitors and continually improve the products to more competitive prices.The number of wheelchair users is continually increasing all over the world and the same increase occurs in Sweden. For this reason the Swedish social board stated The Swedish disability policy, which aim is to minimalize differences between people with disabilities and people without. One part, which is emphasized, is transportation. To reach independence, the possibility to drive a car and bring the wheelchair without assistance is of vital importance.This thesis consists of two main parts – theory and its application. The first part is mainly theory regarding a systematic engineering process as well as a part based on empirical research. It contains information related to the topic of the thesis, which are gathered through observation and interviews rather than acknowledged facts. The second one is the implementation of the theory during development of a wheelchair loading device, which are based on customer requirements.
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Couture, Eric Daniel. "The design and manufacture of an elevating/articulating manual wheelchair legrest." Worcester, Mass. : Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2006. http://www.wpi.edu/Pubs/ETD/Available/etd-050306-151613/.
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Helin, Emil. "Botswanan Wheelchair." Thesis, KTH, Maskinkonstruktion (Inst.), 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-168725.
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In April 2010 a collaboration of three years started between the foundation Spinalis and theministry of health in Botswana to create permanent resources to treat persons with spinal cordinjuries in Botswana. The work started immediately at the biggest hospital in Botswana locatedin the capital city Gaborone. They notice early that help was needed. Doctors and nurses hadinadequate knowledge about spinal core injures and what it implicates and also access to aidwhere defective. Patients where left in their bed because the doctors didn’t know what to do withthem. When they were sent home the patient still had problems to move which made most ofthem stuck in bed. The mortality ratio was very high during the first year after leaving hospital.Many of them died of infected pressure sores. Most patient didn’t know how to turn around inbed to depressurize the sores by them selves and where depending on people around them.This problem where one of the first the Spinalis foundation helped to solve in Botswana. Theyshowed how patients could learn how to turn around in bed by their own. It resulted in lowernumber of pressure sore and differences where notable on the mortality ratio for patients duringtheir first year at home. By providing patients with aid and knowledge Spinals showed how aspinal core injured person can start live active and healthy. One of the most important aid for aspinal cord injured person is a wheelchair. With a wheelchair people who have difficulties towalk can start moving around by them self, independently, and have a possibility to live anactive healthy life. Unfortunately Spinals had problems to provide their patients with properwheelchairs. They had to import wheelchairs from other parts of the world, which was costly andtime consuming. Spinalis had to relay on donations from other organizations and foundations.Donations are frequently made from developed countries and may appear to be an appropriatestrategy to handle the situation. Donations often cause more problems then solutions. Donatedwheelchairs are often used and are at the end of their useful life and are design to deal with othertypes of environments which often causes mechanical problems. It is often very expensive ifeven possible to obtain replacement parts. Donations also have been reported to have a badimpact on local wheelchair companies. When donations arrive to a community, the local storegets out of business. Later when the donated wheelchairs reach their end of life the localbusinesses have shut down and it gets hard find wheelchairs to supply people that need them.This project aims to solve this problem by develop a concept of a wheelchair which is adaptedfor rough terrain and can be produced locally in Botswana. Hopefully this will make a properwheelchair available for a reasonable price and possibly also contribute to more jobs andeconomic growth in Botswana.The final wheelchair concept this project resulted in has a simple design with simple joints andangels that make it easy and sheep to manufacture. The simple and neat design requires only afew tools when it is manufactured. Parts selected for the wheelchair cost in total 250USD, whichcan be considered to be low for an active wheelchair. The wheelchair is equipped with a longwheelbase and camber angel will allow the user to be active in the wheelchair and use it in thesemi-rough environment it will be exposed to.
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HECKEL, PAMELA FUNDERBURG. "BEYOND THE WHEELCHAIR." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2003. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1068666912.
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Walker, Linda Ann. "Accepting wheelchair use." Thesis, University of Brighton, 2013. https://research.brighton.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/933b5a83-d0b4-40a0-abff-526fcc10888f.
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Statutory wheelchair provision in England and Wales has been equipment led since its inception in 1990. However, users are reported to be dissatisfied with the service and a reorganisation of provision is underway that purports, in accordance with recent Government advice (DOH, 2012), to make the wheelchair user central to the supply process. However, little is known about wheelchair users perspectives of the equipment that they use to inform this process.
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Quade, Michael. "Design and Construction of a Wheelchair Tray for Rigid Wheelchair Users." The Ohio State University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1250609866.
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Ndosi, Aston. "Locally manufactured wheelchairs in Tanzania : Do they meet the needs of Tanzanian wheelchair users?" Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13979.
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Access to suitable wheelchairs may seriously impact the ability of people with physical disabilities to integrate into regular community life. The overall aim of this study was to determine the extent to which the needs of users of wheelchairs manufactured locally in Tanzanian are met. The specific objectives of the study were to determine users' satisfaction with the wheelchairs manufactured in Tanzania, their satisfaction with services associated with the provision, repair and maintenance of these wheelchairs, and the extent to which these wheelchairs enabled them to carry out their daily activities. A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among 75 users of locally manufactured manual wheelchairs, aged 18-65 years and residing in Dar es Salaam, Arusha and the Kilimanjaro regions of Tanzania. Data was collected using a questionnaire consisting of demographic items and two existing instruments, the Functioning Everyday with a Wheelchair (FEW) and Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology (QUEST) 2.0. Data were analysed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software program version 20.0. Descriptive analysis was performed using frequencies and proportions for categorical data or median and ranges for numerical data. The chi-square test was conducted to determine whether there were significant difference between gender and place of residence (rural/urban) and satisfaction with functional needs, wheelchair and activity and participation.
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Nilsson, Rebecca, and de Val Almida Winquist. "Hand Gesture Controlled Wheelchair." Thesis, KTH, Skolan för industriell teknik och management (ITM), 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-264512.
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Haptical technology is a field that is under constant development and that exists in many of today’s products, for example in VR-games and in the controls for vehicles. This kind of technology could in the same way simplify for disabled people by their being able to control a wheelchair using hand gestures. The purpose of this project is to research if a wheelchair can be controlled with hand gestures, and in that case, in which way that would be the most optimal. To answer the research questions in the project, a small scale prototype wheelchair was developed. This prototype is based on a microcontroller, Arduino, that is controlled by a sensor, IMU, that reads the angle of the user’s hand. Together, the components control two motors and steer the wheelchair. The result shows how hand gestures can steer the wheelchair forward, backward, left and right under constant speed, as well as making it stop. The prototype is able to follow the movements of the user’s hand, but reacts more slowly than would be desirable in a real situation. In spite of the fact that there are many different aspects to haptical steering of a wheelchair, this project shows that there is a large potential in implementing this kind of technology in an actual wheelchair.Haptiskt styrning är en teknologi som utvecklas snabbt och inkorporeras i många av dagens produkter, till exempel i allt från VR-spel till styrning av fordon. På samma sätt skulle denna teknologi kunna underlätta för rörelsehindrade genom att erbjuda styrning av rullstol med hjälp av handrörelser. Syftet med detta projekt var därför att undersöka om en rullstol kan styras med handrörelser och i så fall vilket sätt som är optimalt. För att besvara rapportens frågeställning har framtagningen av en prototyp av en rullstol i liten skala gjorts. Denna är baserad på en mikrodator, Arduino, som styrs av en sensor, IMU, som mäter vinkeln på användarens hand. Med hjälp av dessa kan motorerna styras och rullstolen manövreras. Resultatet av rapporten har lett till ett förslag på hur handrörelser kan styra rullstolen framåt, bakåt, till vänster och till höger under konstant fart samt få den att stanna. Protypen följer gesterna som användarens hand visar, men reagerar långsammare än vad som vore önskvärt i verkligheten. Trots att många utvecklingsmöjligheter kvarstår för haptisk styrning av en rullstol, visar detta arbete att det finns stor potential i att implementera denna teknik med handrörelsestyrning i en verklig rullstol.
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Edlund, Andreas. "Navigation for Autonomous Wheelchair Robot." Thesis, Linköping University, Department of Electrical Engineering, 2004. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-2475.
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The problem with motorized wheelchairs is that they are large, clumsy and difficult to control. This is especially true if the driver has severely reduced capabilities. What we want is a wheelchair that can take instructionsfrom the driver and then based on its understanding of the environment, construct a plan that will take the user to the intended destination. The user should be able to sit in a room, tell the wheelchair that he wants to be in another room and the wheelchair should take him there as quickly and smoothly as possible.
The planner presented in this thesis uses a randomized bi-directional tree search. It builds two trees, one from the start state and one from the goal state by randomly sampling the control space of the robot. Each node is a state and each edge is a control input to the robot.
In order to decrease the execution time and improve path quality, the planner uses several heuristics to guide the planner. The heuristics are based on Rapidly-exploring Random Trees, Probabilistic Road-maps and the gradient method.
For a normal household situation, this planner can construct a decent plan in mere seconds on relatively slow hardware. Most times it finishes in a fraction of a second.
This means that the planner has the ability to run in real-time. As a consequence, the planner can handle a dynamic environment, inaccurate sensor readings and an inaccurate physical robot model.
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Escudero, Pablo. "Design of an Urban Wheelchair." Thesis, Mälardalen University, School of Innovation, Design and Engineering, 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-4345.
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In this report I will develop a wheelchair adapted to the urban reality of our society.
It’ll have to compete with the electric wheelchairs on the market today. There is a real
necessity on this as the wheelchairs on the streets today have developed little since
they were firstly introduced in world war 2.
To achieve a successful product we will study the different wheelchairs and how they
adapt to the urban environment. Such study will include several surveys focusing on
the user, it’s illnesses and anthropometrical measures as well as his way of usage.
Then we will focus on the wheelchair, the types, characteristics, parts, and functions.
The result will be an electric wheelchair which improves significatively in
ergonomics, stability and maneuverability over their electric counterparts. Moreover it
greatly increases it’s outdoor and indoor capability reducing the architectonical
barriers that can be found on a city.
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Ezeh, Chinemelu Ejiamatu Muoma. "Shared control for wheelchair interfaces." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2018. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10048965/.
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Independent mobility is fundamental to the quality of life of people with impairment. Most people with severe mobility impairments, whether congenital, e.g., from cerebral palsy, or acquired, e.g., from spinal cord injury, are prescribed a wheelchair. A small yet significant number of people are unable to use a typical powered wheelchair controlled with a joystick. Instead, some of these people require alternative interfaces such as a head- array or Sip/Puff switch to drive their powered wheelchairs. However, these alternative interfaces do not work for everyone and often cause frustration, fatigue and collisions. This thesis develops a novel technique to help improve the usability of some of these alternative interfaces, in particular, the head-array and Sip/Puff switch. Control is shared between a powered wheelchair user, using an alternative interface and a pow- ered wheelchair fitted with sensors. This shared control then produces a resulting motion that is close to what the user desires to do but a motion that is also safe. A path planning algorithm on the wheelchair is implemented using techniques in mo- bile robotics. Afterwards, the output of the path planning algorithm and the user's com- mand are both modelled as random variables. These random variables are then blended in a joint probability distribution where the final velocity to the wheelchair is the one that maximises the joint probability distribution. The performance of the probabilistic approach to blending the user's inputs with the output of a path planner, is benchmarked against the most common form of shared control called linear blending. The benchmarking consists of several experiments with end users both in a simulated world and in the real-world. The thesis concludes that probabilistic shared control provides safer motion compared with the traditional shared control for difficult tasks and hard-to-use interfaces.
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Letcher, Ryan. "SmartHub: A Low Cost Manual Wheelchair Fitness Metrics Tool for Clinicians, Researchers, and Wheelchair Users." The Ohio State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu149270449042227.
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Maximo, Tulio P. dos Santos. "Not just the right for a wheelchair but the right wheelchair : a multi-site study of the wheelchair public service provision in Belo Horizonte city, Brazil." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2018. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/31843.
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For decades the care of disabled population in Brazil has been neglected by the government and was provided largely by the charitable institutions. It was as only recently, as in the year 2011 that Brazilian government created the national plan for the rights of the disabled people. The plan articulates policies regarding social inclusion, access to education, accessibility and health care. The last section of the plan includes the provision of wheelchairs free of cost to the Brazilians citizens, who are in need of a wheelchair. It is common knowledge that a wrong wheelchair specification can lead to physical damage for the user and the carer; the abandonment of device, and wastage of time and resources involved in the wheelchair provision. The World Health Organization has propounded several good practices and training material with reference to wheelchair services towards enabling of right wheelchair fit to the user characteristics. Though, there is no evidence that the service provided in Brazil adheres to these guidelines or any other wheelchair service good practice. This research reviews the wheelchair service provision in Belo Horizonte city, Brazil with the aim to understand the functionality of these services in order to provide context-specific interventions and recommendations to improve the design of current services. Herein, three main studies were conducted using a mix of methods: A first exploratory study was conducted to assess the Belo Horizonte assistive technology services and identify a research focus. A second study was conducted to develop an in-depth insight on the understanding of the wheelchair service provided and to collect the necessary information towards creating a context-based and collaborative designed intervention. A third study was conducted to evaluate and improve the proposed interventions. A total of sixty-six interviews were conducted (n=66) with service stakeholders and two hundred and fifty user care observed (n=250) from which ninety-five (n=95) tested the proposed interventions.
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Johansson, Jonas, and Daniel Petersson. "Torque Sensor Free Power Assisted Wheelchair." Thesis, Halmstad University, School of Information Science, Computer and Electrical Engineering (IDE), 2007. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-656.
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A power assisted wheelchair combines human power, which is delivered by the arms through the pushrims, with electrical motors, which are powered by a battery. Today’s electric power assisted wheelchairs use force sensors to measure the torque exerted on the pushrims by the user. The force sensors in the pushrims are rather expensive and this approach also makes the wheels a little bit clumsy. The objective with this project is to find a new, better and cheaper solution that does not use expensive force sensors in the pushrims. The new power assisted wheelchair will instead only rely on its velocity, which is measured with rotational encoders, as feedback signal and thereby the project name “Torque Sensor Free Power Assisted Wheelchair”.
The project consisted of two main parts; an extensive construction part, where an ordinary joystick controlled motorized wheelchair has been rebuild to the new power assisted wheelchair without torque sensors and a development part, where different torque sensor free controllers has been designed, simulated, programmed and tested.
The project resulted in a torque sensor free power assisted wheelchair, where the final implemented design is a proportional derivative controller, which gives a very good assisting system that is robust and insensitive to measurement noise. The proportional derivative control design gives two adjustable parameters, which can be tuned to fit a certain user; one parameter is used to adjust the amplification of the user’s force and the other one is used to change the lasting time of the propulsion influence.
Since the new assisting control system only relies on the velocity, the torque sensor free power assisted wheelchair will besides giving the user assisting power also give an assistant, which pushes the wheelchair, additional power. This is a big advantage compared to the pushrim activated one, where this benefit for the assistant is not possible.
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Horncastle, Michelle Marie. "Municipal trail accessibility for wheelchair users." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1998. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/tape15/PQDD_0012/MQ35501.pdf.
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Tang, Robert. "A Semi-autonomous Wheelchair Navigation System." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Mechanical Engineering, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/6472.
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Many mobility impaired users are unable to operate a powered wheelchair safely, without causing harm to themselves, others, and the environment. Smart wheelchairs that assist or replace user control have been developed to cater for these users, utilising systems and algorithms from autonomous robots. Despite a sustained period of research and development of robotic wheelchairs, there are very few available commercially.
This thesis describes work towards developing a navigation system that is aimed at being retro-fitted to powered wheelchairs. The navigation system developed takes a systems engineering approach, integrating many existing open-source software projects to deliver a system that would otherwise not be possible in the time frame of a master's thesis.
The navigation system introduced in this thesis is aimed at operating in an unstructured indoor environment, and requires no a priori information about the environment. The key components in the system are: obstacle avoidance, map building, localisation, path planning, and autonomously travelling towards a goal. The test electric wheelchair was instrumented with the following: a laptop, a laser scanner, wheel encoders, camera, and a variety of user input methods. The user interfaces that have been implemented and tested include a touch screen friendly graphical user interface, keyboard and joystick.
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Goodwin, Michael John. "Navigational assistance for disabled wheelchair users." Thesis, University of Portsmouth, 1999. https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/navigational-assistance-for-disabled-wheelchair-users(5797931f-06f3-4b9f-a7e5-cc63357a8a50).html.
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Previous low cost systems of navigational assistance for disabled wheelchair users have provided little more than simple obstacle and collision avoidance, or follow a pre-defined fixed route defined by a white line or a buried wire. Other research has used complex high cost multi-sensor mode systems closely resembling industrial, military or space exploration applications. These systems used natural features or artificial beacons to produce accurate maps of the operating environments. The progress of the vehicle is monitored and corrected using multisensor techniques such as vision cameras, odometry and triangulation from beacons located in the environment. Such systems have required modification of the operating environment and have resulted in a fully autonomous vehicle providing little or no overall control by the user. Whilst proving the technical feasibilty their cost and complexity has not resulted in practical and affordable solutions for the wheelchair user. The purpose of the present study was to bridge the gap between these two previous areas of research and to provide navigational assistance at an affordable cost. Low cost ultrasonic sensors enabled a wheelchair to operate in an unknown (i. e. previously unmapped) environment whilst leaving the user in overall control. Hardware modifications to a commercial powered wheelchair enabled data from ultrasonic arrays and the user's joystick to be interrogated and mixed by a computer to provide appropriate signals for the wheelchair drive motors. A simulation program was created to interpret the sensor signals that would be generated from the various conditions likely to be encountered by a wheelchair and to develop the various control strategies. The simulation was able to differentiate between the various environmental conditions and select the appropriate action using the newly created control algorithms. The sensor data interpretation modules together with the control algorithms, from the simulation, were incorporated into a practical system for controlling the wheelchair. In tests data from the sensors was used to detect and evaluate localised changes in the environment and used to determine appropriate signals for the drive wheel motors. In the tests it was found that the wheelchair controller and the geometry of the wheelchair resulted in a degradation of the expected wheelchair response. This was overcome in two ways: firstly by modifying the control algorithm and secondly by changing the wheelchair geometry.
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Croft, Louise. "Investigating energy expenditure in wheelchair athletes." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2012. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/9788.
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The increased participation in elite wheelchair sport has provided the need to investigate the physiological requirements of wheelchair sporting competition and daily wheelchair propulsion. However, from a nutritional perspective, guidelines that have been established from the able-bodied population tend to be used by the practitioners working in disability sport and it is not known whether this information is directly transferable to the wheelchair athlete. Wheelchair sport is complex and athletes differ with respect to their sports classification based on factors relating to disability and functional capacity. Therefore, if nutritional guidance is required to optimise performance then information regarding energy expenditure (EE) in the wheelchair sports population becomes important for specific feedback. The aim of this thesis was to investigate EE in wheelchair athletes. The results from Chapter 3 found resting energy expenditure (REE) in tetraplegic athletes to be lower than that calculated using predictive equations derived from an ablebodied cohort. However, paraplegic athletes showed comparable values to those which were predicted, suggesting these equations may be of use in paraplegic athletes. Chapter 4 extended this work and found similarities in the REE of the two aforementioned cohorts. This could have been due to the similarities that were found in their total-body fat free mass (FFM). The results from Chapter 5 showed EE reduced after both a short 36 minute exposure of wheelchair propulsion and after 3 weeks of wheelchair propulsion practice in novice wheelchair users. Temporal parameters improved after the practice period, suggesting there is an association between EE and propulsion technique. Chapter 6 extended these findings with results confirming that experienced wheelchair users expended significantly less energy during wheelchair propulsion than novice individuals who had up to 3 weeks practice. It is clear that EE of daily wheelchair ambulation should not be a generic value and different levels of experience must be considered so that the nutritional needs can be tailored accordingly. Chapters 7 and 8 examined the physiological demands of elite competitive wheelchair basketball players in relation to the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) classification categories and identified differences in the physiological demands and physiological fitness of wheelchair basketball and tennis players. These results found that IWBF Class 3 - 4.5 (high point) players expended more energy per hour during competition than those with a lower classification (IWBF Class 1 - 2.5). However, when actual playing time was considered the low classification group showed a similar EE to the higher classification group. Furthermore, wheelchair basketball players had a higher EE per hour than wheelchair tennis players during elite competition. However, the wheelchair tennis players spent a significantly longer duration on court resulting in similar EE during a typical competition within each sport. This suggests nutritional advice should be tailored both to the duration of competitive play (where EE may be similar between sports (basketball vs. tennis)); and to training (where athletes with a higher functional capacity may have higher EE). This thesis revealed several important physiological considerations to appreciate when investigating the EE of wheelchair sportsmen and women. Findings would suggest that type of disability, wheelchair propulsion experience and sport classification are all important considerations for the accurate assessment of EE in this cohort of athletes.
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Suri, Prerna. "CLOTHING NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR WHEELCHAIR USERS." Kent State University / OhioLINK, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1470244671.
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Faria, Brígida Mónica Teixeira de. "Patient classification for intelligent wheelchair adaptation." Doctoral thesis, Universidade de Aveiro, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10773/11507.
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Doutoramento em Engenharia InformáticaA importância e preocupação dedicadas à autonomia e independência das pessoas idosas e dos pacientes que sofrem de algum tipo de deficiência tem vindo a aumentar significativamente ao longo das últimas décadas. As cadeiras de rodas inteligentes (CRI) são tecnologias que podem ajudar este tipo de população a aumentar a sua autonomia, sendo atualmente uma área de investigação bastante ativa. Contudo, a adaptação das CRIs a pacientes específicos e a realização de experiências com utilizadores reais são assuntos de estudo ainda muito pouco aprofundados. A cadeira de rodas inteligente, desenvolvida no âmbito do Projeto IntellWheels, é controlada a alto nível utilizando uma interface multimodal flexível, recorrendo a comandos de voz, expressões faciais, movimentos de cabeça e através de joystick. Este trabalho teve como finalidade a adaptação automática da CRI atendendo às características dos potenciais utilizadores. Foi desenvolvida uma metodologia capaz de criar um modelo do utilizador. A investigação foi baseada num sistema de recolha de dados que permite obter e armazenar dados de voz, expressões faciais, movimentos de cabeça e do corpo dos pacientes. A utilização da CRI pode ser efetuada em diferentes situações em ambiente real e simulado e um jogo sério foi desenvolvido permitindo especificar um conjunto de tarefas a ser realizado pelos utilizadores. Os dados foram analisados recorrendo a métodos de extração de conhecimento, de modo a obter o modelo dos utilizadores. Usando os resultados obtidos pelo sistema de classificação, foi criada uma metodologia que permite selecionar a melhor interface e linguagem de comando da cadeira para cada utilizador. A avaliação para validação da abordagem foi realizada no âmbito do Projeto FCT/RIPD/ADA/109636/2009 - "IntellWheels - Intelligent Wheelchair with Flexible Multimodal Interface". As experiências envolveram um vasto conjunto de indivíduos que sofrem de diversos níveis de deficiência, em estreita colaboração com a Escola Superior de Tecnologia de Saúde do Porto e a Associação do Porto de Paralisia Cerebral. Os dados recolhidos através das experiências de navegação na CRI foram acompanhados por questionários preenchidos pelos utilizadores. Estes dados foram analisados estatisticamente, a fim de provar a eficácia e usabilidade na adequação da interface da CRI ao utilizador. Os resultados mostraram, em ambiente simulado, um valor de usabilidade do sistema de 67, baseado na opinião de uma amostra de pacientes que apresentam os graus IV e V (os mais severos) de Paralisia Cerebral. Foi também demonstrado estatisticamente que a interface atribuída automaticamente pela ferramenta tem uma avaliação superior à sugerida pelos técnicos de Terapia Ocupacional, mostrando a possibilidade de atribuir automaticamente uma linguagem de comando adaptada a cada utilizador. Experiências realizadas com distintos modos de controlo revelaram a preferência dos utilizadores por um controlo compartilhado com um nível de ajuda associado ao nível de constrangimento do paciente. Em conclusão, este trabalho demonstra que é possível adaptar automaticamente uma CRI ao utilizador com claros benefícios a nível de usabilidade e segurança.
The importance and concern given to the autonomy and independence of elderly people and patients suffering from some kind of disability has been growing significantly in the last few decades. Intelligent wheelchairs (IW) are technologies that can increase the autonomy and independence of this kind of population and are nowadays a very active research area. However, the adaptations to users’ specificities and experiments with real users are topics that lack deeper studies. The intelligent wheelchair, developed in the context of the IntellWheels project, is controlled at a high-level through a flexible multimodal interface, using voice commands, facial expressions, head movements and joystick as its main input modalities. This work intended to develop a system enabling the automatic adaptation, to the user characteristics, of the previously developed intelligent wheelchair. A methodology was created enabling the creation of a user model. The research was based on the development of a data gathering system, enabling the collection and storage of data from voice commands, facial expressions, head and body movements from several patients with distinct disabilities such as Cerebral Palsy. The wheelchair can be used in different situations in real and simulated environments and a serious game was developed where different tasks may be performed by users. Data was analysed using knowledge discovery methods in order to create an automatic patient classification system. Based on the classification system, a methodology was developed enabling to select the best wheelchair interface and command language for each patient. Evaluation was performed in the context of Project FCT/RIPD/ADA/109636/ 2009 – “IntellWheels – Intelligent Wheelchair with Flexible Multimodal Interface”. Experiments were conducted, using a large set of patients suffering from severe physical constraints in close collaboration with Escola Superior de Tecnologia de Saúde do Porto and Associação do Porto de Paralisia Cerebral. The experiments using the intelligent wheelchair were followed by user questionnaires. The results were statistically analysed in order to prove the effectiveness and usability of the adaptation of the Intelligent Wheelchair multimodal interface to the user characteristics. The results obtained in a simulated environment showed a 67 score on the system usability scale based in the opinion of a sample of cerebral palsy patients with the most severe cases IV and V of the Gross Motor Function Scale. It was also statistically demonstrated that the data analysis system advised the use of an adapted interface with higher evaluation than the one suggested by the occupational therapists, showing the usefulness of defining a command language adapted to each user. Experiments conducted with distinct control modes revealed the users' preference for a shared control with an aid level taking into account the level of constraint of the patient. In conclusion, this work demonstrates that it is possible to adapt an intelligent wheelchair to the user with clear usability and safety benefits.
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Moon, Jungun. "Effect of contact-release angle on hand-handrim for peak velocity." Virtual Press, 1992. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/834622.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between the arm joint angle at contact-release with peak velocity in experienced cerebral palsied athletes during wheelchair propulsion. The subjects (n = 5) exercised for a few minutes to familiarize themselves with the roller set up. After practice, each subject was asked to push the wheelchair as fast as possible up to 10 seconds. A tach-generator was attached to the core of the roller and interfaced to a computer via an eight bit A/D converter. The sampling rate of the roller speed was 200Hz. One video camera operating at 30 frames per second, and posisioned 7 m from the roller side was used. The data were analyzed for shoulder, elbow, and wrist angles with the Peak Performance program in I.B.M. compatible computer. Subjects' peak velocities were 8.85, 4.49, 4.19, 3.66, and 4.09 m/s, and the mean percent of contact and release times were 32.8% vs 67.2%. Shoulder, elbow, and wrist contact angles were not statisticaly in this study. Results indicate that contact-release angle on hand-handrim was effected for peak velocity. Also there was no significantrelationship between speed and cycle time.Key WordsRacing wheelchair, cerebral palsy, Peak velocity, Propulsion, Joint angle.School of Physical Education
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Yao, Fei. "Measurement and modeling of wheelchair propulsion ability for people with spinal cord injury." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Mechanical Engineering, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/1218.
Full textAbstract:
Wheelchair propulsion is an important part of daily living for many people with spinal cord injuries (SCI's). The aim of this project was to establish the validity of using a new approach for measuring wheelchair propulsion ability. The variation in methods observed by subject's hands in contacting and propelling their wheelchair, namely, using the push rims only; wedging the hands between push rims and tyre and grasping both push rims and tyres, highlighted that earlier studies using instrumented push rims (including the SMART ) for people with tetraplegia would not provide a true indication of propulsion ability for the participants in this study. As a result, a new inertia dynamometer was built and calibrated for measuring wheelchair propulsion ability. Kinetic and kinematic models were developed to calculate wheelchair propulsion parameters such as power output, wheelchair velocity and arm motion patterns. After testing 22 subjects with different SCI levels, the results indicated that arm function was a more important factor in wheelchair propulsion, in terms of power output, than trunk stability and strength. More importantly, people with C5/C6 tetraplegia had a significantly reduced capability in terms of wheelchair propulsion compared with other subjects with a lower lesion (T1-T8, T9-T12 and L1-S5). A further study for quantifying the contribution of triceps function on improving wheelchair propulsion for people with tetraplegia was performed by comparing kinetic and kinematics parameters in C5/C6 tetraplegia subjects. Depending on the control of elbow extension, the subjects were divided into groups with: no active elbow extension, deltoid to triceps transfer surgery (TROIDS) to provide elbow extension, and incomplete C5/C6 tetraplegia with retained active triceps function providing elbow extension. The results demonstrated that the restoration of triceps following TROIDS surgery not only allows active elbow extension, but also increased the amplitude and strength as well as the speed of arm movement. Finally, the results also point to TROIDS allowing a more pronounced and natural push phase and an improved arm movement pattern during both propulsion and recovery phase under normal and extreme conditions.
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Ayik, Hatice Mujde. "Stability Augmentation Of A Semi-autonomous Wheelchair." Master's thesis, METU, 2003. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12605377/index.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
In this thesis, the dynamic modeling of a wheelchair-human system is performed, and the effects of steering action and sudden slope changes along the path on the system stability are analyzed for different road and driving conditions. For the cases where the wheelchair system is unstable three methods are proposed for stability augmentation. This study is performed to improve the stability of the wheelchair system under varying road conditions so as to increase the limit of independency for wheelchair users and enhance their life quality.
Two separate mathematical models are obtained for the wheelchair driven on constant sloped and changing sloped roads. Matlab Simulink models are constructed with the obtained mathematical models and control structure. The stability of the system is analyzed by case studies and it is seen that the system is unstable in some of these cases. Three methods are used for enhancement of the stability. One is the speed reduction via joystick module during steep turns, by which the speed of the wheelchair is reduced automatically for a safe steering, but the wheelchair follows the desired course. The second method is the use of a shape filter in order to obtain a less jerky response for the speed. As a final method, the center of mass of the wheelchair-human system is shifted gently in a controlled manner to the side where the reaction force on the wheels decreases.
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Hsieh, Pin-Chun. "Autonomous robotic wheelchair with collision-avoidance navigation." Texas A&M University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/86037.
Full textAbstract:
The objective of this research is to demonstrate a robotic wheelchair moving in an
unknown environment with collision-avoidance navigation. A real-time path-planning
algorithm was implemented by detecting the range to obstacles and by tracking specific
light sources used as beacons. Infrared sensors were used for range sensing, and
light-sensitive resistors were used to track the lights.
To optimize the motion trajectory, it was necessary to modify the original motor
controllers of the electrical wheelchair so that it could turn in a minimum turning radius
of 28.75 cm around its middle point of axle. Then, with these kinematics, the real-time
path planning algorithm of the robotic wheelchair is simplified. In combination with the
newly developed wireless Internet-connection capability, the robotic wheelchair will be
able to navigate in an unknown environment.
The experimental results presented in this thesis include the performance of the control
system, the motion trajectory of the two driving wheels turning in a minimum radius, and the motion trajectory of the real-time path-planning in a real-life testing environment.
These experimental results verified that the robotic wheelchair could move successfully
in an unknown environment with collision-avoidance navigation.
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RAMOS, CARLOS MAURICIO DA COSTA. "WHEELCHAIR WITH STRUCTURAL DESIGN IN TENSEGRITY BAMBOO." PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO, 2016. http://www.maxwell.vrac.puc-rio.br/Busca_etds.php?strSecao=resultado&nrSeq=27311@1.
Full textAbstract:
PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIROEsta pesquisa está inserida no universo dos portadores de necessidades especiais e pretende desenvolver uma nova tecnologia para projetar a estrutura de cadeira de rodas. Tal estrutura será composta por um módulo tensegrity composto de varas de bambu e cabos tensionados e adota todos os padrões antropométricos com a observância aos estudos ergonômicos e necessidades individuais de uso dos cadeirantes. Esse novo conceito de design de estrutura, por ser inédito, resulta num produto inovador e permite novas interpretações e desdobramentos. Essa pesquisa também inicia uma nova interpretação do tensegrity por sua aplicação a órteses para reabilitação que atualmente é amplamente difundido nas artes plásticas, arquitetura e no design de produto. O seu emprego pode suprir algumas necessidades como adaptação corporal favorável pela maleabilidade da estrutura que absorve os movimentos mais bruscos que possam causar incômodos, lesões e má acomodação do usuário à cadeira de rodas.
This research is part of the universe of people with special needs and aims to develop a new technology to design the wheelchair frame. This structure will consist of a compound tensegrity module bamboo poles and tensioned cables and adopts all anthropometric standards with respect to ergonomic studies and individual needs of use of the wheelchair. This new concept of structure design, to be unheard of, resulting in an innovative product and allows new interpretations and developments. This research also initiates a new interpretation of tensegrity by its application to orthoses for rehabilitation that is currently widespread in art, architecture and product design. Your job can fill some needs as body adaptation favor the flexibility of the structure that absorbs the most sudden movements that may cause nuisance, injuries and poor user accommodation to the wheelchair.
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Liadis, Keith Nicholas. "Design of a Power-Assist Hemiplegic Wheelchair." Digital WPI, 2006. https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/etd-theses/794.
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Current one-handed manual wheelchairs are difficult to propel because one arm can only provide half the power that is ascertained in a two-handed manual wheelchair. A power-assisted hemiplegic (one-sided paralysis) wheelchair was developed that can effectively be propelled with one arm while remaining maneuverable, lightweight, and foldable. An existing manual wheelchair was minimally modified and fitted with powerassisted components that could alternatively be attached to a wide range of manual wheelchairs. The design implements a motor and gear train to power the wheel on the users affected side, encoders on both rear wheels to track wheel position, and a heel interface on the footrest to control steering. A controls program was developed that analyzes wheel position and steering to respond to the motion of the hand-driven wheel. Extensive testing was performed to ensure design integrity. Testing results showed that the prototype successfully met and exceeded predetermined design specifications based on industry standard testing procedures. The design has the potential to deliver increased freedom to a considerable consumer base.
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Rogers, Paul. "Modelling the crashworthiness of specialist wheelchair devices." Thesis, University of South Wales, 2008. https://pure.southwales.ac.uk/en/studentthesis/modelling-the-crashworthiness-of-specialist-wheelchair-devices(b789c8e3-0998-4560-a991-d53b968769bc).html.
Full textAbstract:
A small percentage of wheelchair users are unable to transfer from their wheelchair to a vehicle during transportation. Reasons for an occupant to remain in the wheelchair during transport may be the inability to safely transfer to a vehicle seat, the occupant's requirement of a specialist postural management wheelchair seating system or reliance on life support equipment attached to the wheelchair. The Rehabilitation Engineering Unit at Rookwood Hospital deal with people who require either a specialist postural support wheelchair seating system, life support equipment or both. To cater for such equipment the wheelchairs have to be modified to some degree and sometimes completely custom made. In performing modifications to the wheelchairs the Rehabilitation Engineering Unit take on the manufactures responsibilities, one of which is to ensure that the wheelchair is safe for use in transport. Standard crash tests for production wheelchairs are destructive so are impractical to use for bespoke wheelchair designs meaning that the Clinical Engineers at the Hospital have to rely on their best engineering judgement as to whether a wheelchair design is crash worthy or not. It was proposed that by using computer crash simulation techniques an informed judgement of the crashworthiness of the bespoke wheelchair designs could be attained. A series of computer models of occupied wheelchairs were created and validated against physical crash data performed on surrogate wheelchairs. These validated wheelchair computer models were then used to examine a series of different crash scenarios that provided the Clinical Engineers at Rookwood hospital with an informed process for virtually assessing the crashworthiness of their wheelchair designs. The validation results showed that the wheelchair crashworthiness could feasibly be predicted by computer simulation. This thesis concluded that attaching equipment to the wheelchair can increase both its horizontal displacement and the forces on the tiedowns securing the wheelchair to the vehicle chassis. Skewed impact simulations also highlighted the poor lateral restraint ability of the 4-point webbing tie-down system and also the importance of sufficient lateral support on the wheelchair for occupant protection.
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Ferreira, José Pedro Leitão. "Physical self-perceptions in wheelchair sport participants." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/1983/33436d05-6d0c-45b7-9c02-ac19e728e1b8.
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The study of self-perceptions in the physical domain is still an underdeveloped area of research in many countries, such as Portugal. This issue is of even further interest when assessed in groups with physical impairment, whose perceptions may be formulated in different ways on different criteria as a result of their disability. The extent to which exercise and sport participation influences the development of self-perception and perceived competence in people with disabilities is also an unexplored area of research. There is a body of literature on disability and sport participation indicating that there is a great potential for involvement in sport to improve mental well-being in people with disabilities (Sherrill, 1997). Further research and wellcontrolled studies are required to support this presumption. The general aim of the present research is to develop a better understanding of the importance of exercise and sport participation in the development of self-perceptions in groups with physical disability. The present thesis involves a sequence of three studies focusing on the construction of self-perceptions in different Portuguese population groups with and without disability using a Portuguese version of the Physical Self-Perception Profile - PSPP-P (Fonseca, Fox, & Almeida, 1995). The use of this instrument in groups with physical disability requires statistical support for its validity and reliability in the Portuguese population that has not been totally achieved yet. The pattern of mean score values presented in this study was similar to the one found in the development of the instrument with USA youth population. Study one provided support for the hierarchical organization of the self-perceptions in the physical domain as well as for gender differences with males scoring higher mean score values than females for all PSPP sub-domains as well as for GSE. However, structural equation modelling (SEM) did not provide support for the original four sub-domain factor model (Fox & Corbin, 1989) and a new three sub-domain factor model was proposed combining Condition and Sport items into a new sub-dimension, the Physical Confidence. Study two provided some critical information about PSPPp structure when used in groups with physical disability. Limited support was found for the existence of PSW as a mediator. The hierarchical structure exists among PSPPp sub-scales but not with GSE. An unusual lack of relationship between Physical Self-Worth and Global Self-Esteem was found suggesting that self-perceptions in the physical domain develop in an alternative way to the one some often confirmed for different age groups without disability. This lack of relationship was confirmed in the qualitative study which identified Body Attractiveness and individual attitudes towards the body including defensiveness and denial, and growth through adversity as some of the major mechanisms involved in the process.
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Campbell, Elizabeth. "Stress and coping in wheelchair sport participants." Thesis, Loughborough University, 1997. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/7319.
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Top level sport for people with a disability is becoming more competitive, creating an environment in which the rewards for success and the disappointments associated with failure are often great. These are factors which clearly have the potential to place extreme psychological demands on sport performers with a disability. However, few investigations have specifically examined how athletes with a disability respond in highly stressful sporting situations. This thesis, therefore, reports 3 separate studies to investigate stress and coping in wheelchair sport participants. Study 1 examined pre-competition temporal patterning of anxiety and self-confidence in 103 wheelchair sport participants at 3 time periods preceding competition (1 week, 2 hours and 30 minutes before). The findings suggested that wheelchair sport participants show a similar pre-competition anxiety response to non-disabled sport participants. However, there were some differences, particularly in the reduction in self-confidence immediately prior to competition. The purpose of Study 2, therefore, was to explore possible: reasons as to why self-confidence may decrease in wheelchair sport participants" immediately prior to competition. Specifically, Study 2 considered the influence of disability status (i.e., possessing and not possessing a disability) on appraisal of a specific important competitive event, and how appraisal may be influenced by various psychosocial factors. The sample comprised of 75 wheelchair and 44 able-bodied sport participants. The findings showed that wheelchair and able-bodied sport participants had similar psychosocial resources and appraisal patterns; however, different factors predicted an important competitive event as challenging. Study 3 explored this further by investigating, via in-depth qualitative interviews, the sources of stress and coping responses in 10 elite male wheelchair basketball players. Qualitative and quantitative methods were employed in combination to enable examination of stress source characteristics (degree of challenge, threat, harm, severity, control and frequency) and coping details (effectiveness and frequency). Whilst many of the findings were similar to those previously reported for elite able-bodied figure skaters, there were some differences. These differences appeared to relate to various disability factors and also the fact that the study was unique in examining team sport participants. Furthermore, the unique nature of the study obtaining information on stress source characteristics, and effectiveness and extent of use of coping strategies, proved to be extremely useful in gaining a more in-depth understanding of the complex stress-coping process. Finally, the findings from the three studies reported in this thesis enabled a model of stress and coping for wheelchair sport participants to be developed. In summary, the studies presented used a range of methodologies to enable an in-depth understanding of stress and coping in wheelchair sport, whilst simultaneously supporting and extending previous research in the sport domain.
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Sciberras, Jade. "Interactive gesture controller for a motorised wheelchair." Thesis, Sciberras, Jade (2015) Interactive gesture controller for a motorised wheelchair. Honours thesis, Murdoch University, 2015. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/29873/.
Full textAbstract:
This paper explores in great detail the design and testing of a gesture controller for a motorised wheelchair. For some, motorised wheelchairs are part of their everyday life. Those individuals who depend on their motorised wheelchair do so for a vast range of reasons; therefore, it is reasonable to assume that modifying and improving upon the standard joystick controller for a motorised wheelchair can benefit a person’s way of life significantly.
The design of the gesture controller is heavily based around the user’s needs so as to benefit them and compliment their strengths to give them more control. For individuals with limited movement and dexterity, the user interface, system responsiveness, ergonomics and safety were considered when engineering a system that is intended for people to use.
A device capable of recognising a hand gesture was carefully chosen. The technology that is readily available for this application is relatively new and not extensively documented. The LEAP motion sensor was chosen as the hand gesture recognition device to be the controller for a wheelchair. This device has hand recognition software but the device’s software lacks the predictability and accuracy required for a motorised wheelchair controller. Through testing, the controller accuracy improved. Although this controller is adequate for a laboratory environment, further testing and development will be required for this alternative wheelchair controller to evolve into a commercial product.
The gesture triggered controller was designed around the capabilities of the developer’s hand; but the method outlined in this paper is transferable to any individual hand size and more importantly the limitations of their hand gestures. The outcome of this thesis is a customised, non-invasive hand gesture controller for a motorised wheelchair that is able to be fully tailored to a person’s capability without losing it responsiveness or accuracy.
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Lamti, Hachem Amine. "Brain and gaze based wheelchair navigation enhancement." Thesis, Toulon, 2013. http://www.theses.fr/2013TOUL0020/document.
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Le projet BEWHEELI (Brain Eyes WHEELchair Interface) consiste à mettre en place une interface basée sur la combinaison du regard et de l’activité cérébrale pour aider une personne à mobilité réduite, à contrôler, commander son fauteuil roulant. La navigation sur fauteuil roulant basée sur le regard a fait l’objet de plusieurs projets. Néanmoins, plusieurs contraintes ont été évoqué : la fatigue cognitive, occulo-musculaire, et l’incapacité de la gestion des fixations sporadiques, d’où l’introduction de la composante cérébrale qui, malgré sa limitation technologique et la complexité de son traitement, s’avère complémentaire à la composante visuelle. Par conséquent pour pallier à ce problème, qui influe sur la sécurité de la navigation du fauteuil roulant, deux paramètres, l’émotion et la fatigue mentale ont été pris en considération. En premier temps, un protocole d’induction des émotions a été mis en place, se basant sur la présentation de séquences vidéo, et les données issues du capteur cérébral ont été extraites et classifiées pour en dégager quatre émotions essentielles : excitation, stress, énervement et relaxation. Ces dernières ont été ensuite intégrées comme contrôleurs de vitesse dans un contexte de navigation virtuelle sur fauteuil roulant. La prise en considération du niveau de la fatigue mentale de l’utilisateur, qui peut engendrer sa déconcentration totale ou partielle dans la prise de décisions, est cruciale pour sécuriser la navigation sur fauteuil roulant. Pour se faire, une étude cognitive basée essentiellement sur l’impact de la fatigue mentale issu des deux sources de contrôle cérébrales, telles que : le Pique 300 (P300) et le potentiel visuel évoqué (SSVEP). Un protocole d’expérience spécifique a été mis en place, nous a permis d’évoquer les caractéristiques physiques des signaux du P300 et le SSVEP d’induire la fatigue mentale. Afin de définir la partie cérébrale la plus influencée et évaluer au mieux le niveau de fatigue de l’utilisateur, une étude de corrélation et de fusion entre les deux informations issues des deux signaux du P300 et le SSVEP a été menée en utilisant la théorie des évidences (Dempster-Schäfer). En dernière étape de ce projet, une étude de fusion fatigue mentale / émotion a été effectué, moyennant la logique floue, pour l’aide à la décision en mode manuel, semi-autonome ou autonome, du fauteuil roulantHe Brain Eyes WHEELchair Interface (BEWHEELI) project aims at proposing a new alternative for severely disabled people (example palsy and Locked-In patients) to command their wheelchairs. It's built on two major blocks: the command block which ensures the migration from the use of joystick to the gaze/brain automated command (including the intermediate phase of gaze/joystick command). The security block deals with the wheelchair control by assessing human factors mainly emotions and mental fatigue through its impact on brainwave patterns. In the former, four emotions were induced and implemented (relaxation, nervousness, excitement and stress) in three navigation scenarios where the introduction of the detection block was assessed. The next step consists on evaluating the impact the mental fatigue can have on two sources of control : Positive 300 (P300) and Steady State Visual Evocked Potentials (SSVEP).Those are treated individually and combined be the mean of evidential theory reasoning to build up a fatigue detection block. At the end a fuzzy logic based decision system was introduced to combine emotional and fatigue blocks that triggers to three navigation modes : manual, semi-autonomous and autonomous that reflect physical abilities of the users to command their wheelchairs
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Pomfret, David. "Differences in Aerobic Response to Wheelchair Locomotion." DigitalCommons@CalPoly, 2010. https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/299.
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The purpose of this study was to explore the differences in the aerobic response to wheeling between wheelchair dependent individuals and able-bodied individuals of similar genders and ages. Five wheelchair dependent men (WC) and five able-bodied men (AB) performed a 13 minute wheeling test (5 min. at rest, 8 min. wheeling) at 4.0 km∙hr-1. Heart rate (HR) and VO2 were recorded using a Vmax ST system during the constant speed test. There was no significant difference in HR or VO2 between the two groups during rest. Both HR and VO2 were higher for WC during exercise. The mean METS during exercise for WC and AB were 3.589 ± 0.516 and 2.726 ± 0.164, respectively. The results indicate that at a given workload a spinal cord injured wheelchair user will have a greater aerobic response than an able-bodied person in a wheelchair completing the same task.
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Elmertoft, Erika. "Rullstolshandtag som möjliggör ögonkontakt – ett produktutvecklingsprojekt." Thesis, Högskolan i Halmstad, Sektionen för ekonomi och teknik (SET), 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-14978.
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Dementia is an umbrella term for several symptoms of impaired brain function. The person's behavior is affected when mental functions such as memory, attention, concentration and language are affected and the dementia patient can have difficulties to interpret sensory input. Communication is based a lot on body language. It is therefore important for the caregiver to seek eye contact with the patient in order to simplify communication and it can be of great help to show with the whole body what they mean and be able to point out things. Since people with dementia quickly can forget what happened just now it is common to say that they live in the present. This can lead to feelings of panic, if they can’t understand what is happening or how they got into the situation they now find themselves in. Since people with dementia are perceived to have a tendency to become anxious when transported by wheelchair the purpose of this project was to find a way to allow eye contact between caregivers and patients. By developing such a product the expectation is that their feeling of security will increase. Initial in the project a survey was fulfilled to investigate whether caregivers to dementia patients had experienced the problem that the patients could become worried when they couldn’t see who drove their wheelchairs. One part in the survey considered the nurses' view of a rear-facing wheelchair as a possible solution. With the help of various tools of product development the project resulted in a suggestion of a solution in which a removable push bar, if necessary, can be attached to the wheelchair so the wheelchair can be driven in the opposite direction, with the person with dementia and the driver facing each other. Conclusions that have been made in this project are that there is a need for a product that allows eye contact between a person with dementia and its caregiver. The resolution meets the objective to enable eye contact, next step is to produce a functional prototype that can be user-tested.
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Cope, Clinton D. "Development of a Concept Wheelchair for the Elderly." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/14629.
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This thesis describes the research, design, and development of a mid-drive wheelchair for use by the elders living independently, in assisted living facilities, and in nursing homes created by a design team at Georgia Tech's Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access (CATEA). This wheelchair stands to significantly improve the mobility of elders through better drive wheel placement and design features that could stand to improve their quality of life.
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Best, Krista Lynn. "Manual wheelchair users : understanding participation and skill development." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/51592.
Full textAbstract:
Wheelchair skills, required for manual wheelchair (MWC) use, are strongly associated with independent mobility, physical activity, and participation. Training can improve mobility and participation in meaningful activities for MWC users, but strategies are required to enhance skill development. Peer-led self-efficacy interventions have been effective at enhancing skills in other clinical areas, and present a novel approach to MWC training that may enhance use.
Purpose: develop an understanding of MWC use and current MWC training education and practices, and to explore and evaluate a novel approach to improving MWC use.
Methods: secondary analysis of a national survey to determine physical activity levels in older wheelchair users; surveys of rehabilitation centres and universities to describe MWC training practices and curriculum; systematic review and meta-analyses to evaluate the effect of peer-led interventions on physical activity and self-efficacy; and a pilot randomized controlled trial to evaluate a peer-led MWC training program for improving wheelchair self-efficacy and wheelchair use.
Results: Only 8% and 41% of older wheelchair users participated in physical and leisure activity, and wheelchair use was found to be a primary risk factor for low levels of participation. A description of current MWC training in practice showed that 78% of clinicians provided basic MWC mobility training, but only 12% taught the advanced skills needed to achieve optimal community participation. Nearly 80% of entry-to-practice programs included MWC skills training in curriculum; however, only 38% used a validated training program.
In a broad review, self-efficacy interventions had a small effect on physical activity (Cohen’s d = 0.2) and self-management self-efficacy (Cohen’s d =0.2). Peer-led MWC training had a large effect on wheelchair use self-efficacy (Cohen’s d =0.8), wheelchair skills capacity (Cohen’s d =0.7) and satisfaction with participation (Cohen’s d = 0.7), and no effect on wheelchair skills performance or life-space mobility.
Conclusion: wheelchair use increases risk of physical inactivity. This may be related to wheelchair skills training, which currently relies on clinicians. Self-efficacy enhanced interventions can promote behaviour change. Peer-led MWC training may augment existing training, enhance self-efficacy and promote increased MWC use, which may elicit health benefits that are associated with physical activity.Medicine, Faculty of
Graduate
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Mallakzadeh, Mohammadreza. "Biomechanical modeling and analysis of manual wheelchair propulsion." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/31423.
Full textAbstract:
Users of manual wheelchairs depend on wheelchairs for most of their daily activities. Manual Wheelchair Propulsion (MWP) is an inefficient and physically straining process, which in the long term can cause injury. However, wheelchair users do benefit greatly from cardiovascular exercise with the use of manual wheelchairs. The first step in improving the low efficiency and/or preventing injuries during MWP is to be able to measure these factors. To do this, we have proposed an Equivalent Biomedical Index (EBI) and two Wheelchair Users' Joint Injury Indices (WUJII and WUJII') for gross mechanical efficiency and injury assessments. We have fabricated and validated an instrumented wheel to measure the user's applied loads on the handrim during MWP as part of the data required for calculating the proposed indices. The wheel system has been verified by using general uncertainty analysis, and its specifications have been determined using both static and dynamic experiments. The results have ensured the reliability of the system. Also, a procedure has been developed to determine the angular position of the contact point between the hand and the handrim by using the applied loads and without the use of cameras. This study also focuses on proposing a novel method to determine the optimum seat position of the wheelchair to minimize the values of the injury indices and/or maximize the value of EBI for each user. Eight male wheelchair user subjects were recruited for the experiments. Statistical analysis showed that horizontal seat position was significantly related to all three indices (p <0.05). The response surfaces of the indices for two users were determined by using the proposed method and a Bivariate Quadratic Function. We developed and elaborated "Method I" for analysis of the dynamics of user joints and to calculate the joint loads as part of the factors required to define the optimum seat position. A 3D rigid-body inverse dynamic method was used to calculate the joint loads. "Method II" for analysis of the kinetics of the upper limbs was developed and validated to simplify the experimental procedure and decrease the required post-processing. Method II showed to be reliable for measuring the joint forces.Applied Science, Faculty of
Mechanical Engineering, Department of
Graduate
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Garden, Jennifer Anna. "Reliability and validity of the Wheelchair Outcome Measure." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/12613.
Full textAbstract:
Study Design: Prospective test re-test study.
Objectives: To examine the reliability and validity of the Wheelchair Outcome Measure (WhOM) and discuss its clinical implications.
Background: Review of the literature indicates the need for a client-centred wheelchair outcome measurement tool that measures participation outcomes related to wheelchair use. To date there have been no studies of the reliability and/or validity of the WhOM.
Methods and Measures: A total of 50 participants who had a spinal cord injury participated in the study. There were three time periods in which the participant was required to answer questions. During the first session, demographic information was collected and the WhOM was completed along with the four additional measures. During the second session, the WhOM satisfaction scores were measured again. The entire WhOM was re-administered during the third by a second rater. A relative reliability index (intra-class correlation coefficient, ICC2,1 for test re-test and ICC2.2 for inter-rater reliability) was employed. Rater agreement for identified WhOM participation outcomes was determined using Kappa coefficients. Spearman’s correlation coefficient was used to examine construct validity.
Results: Test re-test agreements were high (ICC2,1: 0.90) and inter-rater agreements were high (ICC2,2: 0.90). Substantial agreement between raters for identified participation outcomes was achieved (K≥ 0.71). The subscale of assistive device scale of the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology (QUEST) demonstrated a positive relationship with the WhOM (r ≥ 0.65). Items on the Assessment of Life Habits (LIFE-H) demonstrated a positive relationship with the WhOM (r ranged from 0.51 – 0.62). Both the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale and the Return to Normal Living Index failed to meet the hypothesis (r ≥ 0.50).
Conclusion: The WhOM is a new and useful tool for clinicians and researchers who work in the field of wheelchair prescription and research. Test re-test and inter-rater agreements were high for individuals with a diagnosis of a spinal cord injury. Evidence of validity was demonstrated with the QUEST and items from the LIFE-H.
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Goosey, Victoria Louise. "Pushing economy and propulsion technique of wheelchair racers." Thesis, Manchester Metropolitan University, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.300888.
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Restorick, Miranda. "ADJUSTABLE WHEELCHAIR OBSTACLE SIMULATOR AND INSTRUMENTATION FOR ASSESSING WHEELCHAIR SUSPENSION." Thesis, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1974/5417.
Full textAbstract:
Wheelchair users are exposed to whole-body vibrations, particularly when traversing rugged terrain such as in less resourced areas. Suspension systems have been added to wheelchair systems to protect occupants from secondary injuries associated with whole-body vibration. Current suspension systems need to be further developed in order to optimize the protection against these secondary injuries. Until further research finds conclusive evidence for comfort
level, and the onset of injury due to vibrations, it has been recommended to reduce whole-body vibration exposure to the lowest possible level. A versatile testing apparatus and method were designed and built to detect the acceleration and frequencies a wheelchair occupant would be exposed to while riding on simulated rough terrain. A novel dummy was instrumented with accelerometers to measure the accelerations and frequencies experienced by the wheelchair user. The apparatus and method was able to detect peak acceleration magnitudes, and was able to detect resonant frequencies and their intensities with either a PSD or FFT analysis. The minimum
observable effect of change between two test conditions ranged from 6.0% for peak acceleration analysis when using six tests and a light dummy; to 41.0% for PSD analysis when using three tests and a heavy dummy. This adjustable testing apparatus and method can be used to tune a wheelchair system suspension design because it can elucidate whether or not a design is able to reduce accelerations and attenuate resonant frequencies experienced by a wheelchair occupant.Thesis (Master, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2010-01-30 12:17:57.181
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Lin, Ming-Hsuan, and 林明玄. "Wheelchair safety devices." Thesis, 2013. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/50270045794124657309.
Full textAbstract:
碩士南開科技大學
車輛與機電產業研究所
101
As society changes in the structure and the economic boom of development and medical and health advances, men and women's life is governed by year extension, more than 65 years the elderly population showed a rapid growth trend, the elderly population ratio of 14% for the aging society, if the ratio of 20% compared with super-aged society. According to the CEPD, Executive Yuan of the human population at the push count, more predictive in the Republic 107 years to rise to 14%. However, the reaction in the body as well as elderly people are healthy aging, damage caused by unexpected accidents can not be ignored, for elderly people in wheelchairs to use design, you should consider the needs of a variety of use, good planning and thoughtful design. In this study, an automatic brake via questionnaires safety device to control the wheelchair can not move up the initial state of the state, and we have designed with a buzzer and warning lights to alert the user if there is wearing a seat belt, if there is reached a users and users to wear seat belts when the automatic brake safety device will automatically lifted, allows users to easily move to any place to go. Furthermore, in order to be like a nurse or care because it can be easily moved to the front of each patient for its use in the stroller handlebar button to install the portable safety device can automatically brake released.
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Malheiro, Pedro Miguel Candeias de Castro. "Intelligent wheelchair simulation." Master's thesis, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10216/59982.
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Malheiro, Pedro Miguel Candeias de Castro. "Intelligent wheelchair simulation." Dissertação, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10216/59982.
Full text
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Oram, Shikha. "Ergonomic wheelchair design." Thesis, 2014. http://ethesis.nitrkl.ac.in/6339/1/110ID0270-23.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
Wheelchair is a mobility gadget designed to be replacement for walking, moving physically challenged people from one place to other with the help of attendee or by means of self-propelling. The wheelchair is divided into two categories based on the power used mobility: Manually powered wheelchair, electrically powered wheel chair. This project focuses on redesign of electrically driven wheelchair, which runs with electric power however joystick is required for manual operation to operate the movements of chair. The design of wheelchair happened by means of literature review to know its evaluation from past to present generation. Different methodologies have been proposed based on human anthropometric data and tested for sitting and lying as well as standing mechanism of the wheelchair to maximize the utility of chair by including features like back reclination and lifting of wheelchair.. Wheelchairs are not only for those who have no use of their lower extremities, but also for those who tire out easily because of muscular and nerve degenerating conditions. This work is to provide ergonomic constraints for user’s maximum comfort while dealing with various body movements like sitting, lying and lifting. The final output is a wheelchair with very simple mechanism which gives the facility to lie down by reclining the chair backwards and lift upto the desired level with maximum upto standing height. Apart from this simple mechanism ergonomic constraints have been given so that patient can avoid large pressure on body parts allowing body flexibility.
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Chien, Chien-Hung, and 錢建宏. "Omni-Directional Motion Wheelchair." Thesis, 2009. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/06982562128046825619.
Full textAbstract:
碩士南開科技大學
福祉科技與服務管理所
97
This project developed a omni-directional motion wheelchair. For the senior people and handicap person, we will provide a very smoothly omni-directional motion wheel chair. It will continue to use the existing manual and electrically operated wheel chair merit, and innovate to a novel omni-directional wheelchair system. Enable the dexterous electrically operated wheelchair along each free position direct migration, but overcomes the existing wheelchair to need the complicated mode of motion. Founds the electrically operated wheelchair nimble movement ability, provides in is narrow the wheelchair system which disorderly the dynamic environment also may cleverly march forward. In of the research the first will carry on the electrically operated wheelchair chassis, organization the design and the development, design the chassis motor and install he driver, infers kinematics and dynamics equation the omni-directional electrically operated wheelchair and transcribes for the control formula, and mechanical and electrical project and so on system and microcomputer system conformity and function test. Simultaneously also will contain personnel's reality to ride the place, repeatedly tests the improvement to the time to complete one kind of concurrently clever movement comfortable smooth wheelchair system.
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Yang, DeWei, and 楊德偉. "Modularized wheelchair organization designs." Thesis, 2010. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/23791725566718831417.
Full textAbstract:
碩士崑山科技大學
機械工程研究所
98
High medical technology makes the transport such as wheelchair design to be satisfied with the requirements of disabled and elderly people like as safety, light and applicability. Therefore, the purpose of this work is to design a creative wheelchair by using creative methodology. First, we analyze the specifications of wheelchairs. And, based on the concepts ofgreen products and modularized design, we design a modularized wheelchair by usingthe TRIZ method. The designed wheelchair is composed of modular and normalizedelements such as the user can easily allocate and dismantle normalized elements. Thewheelchair also is a standard, compatible and exchangeable product.
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Giesbrecht, Edward Mark. "Comparing satisfaction with occupational performance using a pushrim-activated power-assisted wheelchair and a power wheelchair among task-specific power wheelchair users." Thesis, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/1993/263.
Full textAbstract:
The manual wheelchair (MWC) and power wheelchair (PWC) each present advantages and disadvantages to participation and occupational performance. Consequently, some individuals choose to use both devices, depending upon the activity. A pushrim-activated, power-assisted wheelchair (PPW) may provide an alternative to the PWC for these users. This study utilized a two-phase, mixed methods design, comparing the performance and satisfaction of wheelchair users carrying out self-selected activities with their current PWC and with a PPW. There was no statistically significant difference in outcome measures between the PWC and PPW; however, many participants reported a preference for the PWC. Less accessible environments, particularly when transporting a wheelchair, were identified as opportunities for PPW use. Rather than replacing the PWC for all of their identified activities, participants indicated the PPW improved upon the MWC. As a result, participants expressed a willingness to try more (and new) activities, including some previously performed with the PWC.October 2006
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Berthelette, Michele. "Assessing manual wheelchair caster design for mobility in winter conditions." 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/1993/31692.
Full textAbstract:
Manual wheelchair users who live in cold climates are faced with daily difficulties related to personal independence and societal inclusion, as their assistive devices are unable to overcome the physical barriers created by snow. Packed snow on sidewalks creates a barrier for wheelchair users as the small caster wheels become embedded in the snow-pack, this leads to upper body fatigue as well as wheelchair tipping, and falling. The purpose of this thesis was to develop a method by which the best design could be determined of a group of four commercially available manual wheelchair casters. This method was developed based on the HAAT model of assistive technology design. It was confirmed that snow-packed surfaces, as well as increased inclines, had a significant detrimental effect on the recorded human factors determinants, as well as conventional engineering determinants.October 2016
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Chen, Chien-Liang, and 陳建良. "Dual-purpose wheelchair organization designs." Thesis, 2005. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/3qht9q.
Full textAbstract:
碩士崑山科技大學
機械工程研究所
95
The purpose of this research, in order to perfect the wheelchair and use the ethnicity to upper limbs functions , such as old people and limbs obstacle ,etc., make it is it visit friend , shopping to go out , when closing to nature , the holding and lying the dual-purpose function of usable wheelchair, can all be comfortable to no matter sat dealing with the thing or lay flat and had a rest . In addition, the portable rear wheel is designed, can make the whole center of the wheelchair and user slope with the back of the chair the angle change, with move, can increase the stability and security while using . In order to offer having difficulty getting about on more extension stages of the ethnicity, it is goals to improve its human nature dignity and quality of the life, and then the one that designed for its demand and developed and combined the manual wheelchair and electronic wheelchair advantage '' take and poach the dual-purpose wheelchair ''. This research undergoes the demand discussion , design drawing a design of the design that has been already finished '' taken and poached the dual-purpose wheelchair '' after design the procedure and entity''s prototype machine in patent analysis , conceptual design and detail. The main characteristic of this new-type wheelchair is: (1). Channel into user demand consider , in is it it has to be very little to pay attention to in developing to complement in the past concept this in the course of product development. (2). Utilize four connecting rods of groups simple levels, design and sit , poach the dual-purpose function. (3). The crank slips one is designed, can make the big wheel move with the wheelchair backward while sitting and changing , and then adjust users and sit down directly with the flat center while lying , in order to increase the stability and security while using. (4). It is ago, after design steamboat not big it can last wheelchair it turn function not light and more handy, and its structure is simple , easy to use.
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Chang, Hua-Yuan, and 張華元. "Wheelchair downhill fixed speed units." Thesis, 2013. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/51177022567062211975.
Full textAbstract:
碩士南開科技大學
車輛與機電產業研究所
101
The aging society is the world most countries have to face the fact that elderly populations in the future population structure will represent a very important part. In addition, according to United Nations statistics, each country's disabled individuals who represent at least 10% of the population, and the moving inconvenience patients most commonly used dependent action aids wheelchair. The wheelchair in the downhill section, if too fast will lead to the elderly nervous, high blood pressure, osteoporosis in the elderly, wheelchair dumping will ride cause serious injury. Wheelchair users and often sickly, slow response, wheelchair encounter downhill when there may be a chance to react, or no time to brake, not force has been hand to brake is actually very difficult for the elderly or upper limb and the palm is also possible because of this injury. The paper is to explore a set of wheelchair downhill fixed speed units, the wheelchair in the downhill section, with a constant speed, increasing the safety of wheelchair downhill.