Wheelchair users experience many situations that affect the stability and associated performance of their wheelchair. Stability is affected by user characteristics and abilities, environmental features and conditions, and wheelchair modification and accessories. Wheelchair prescribers need effective tools and methods to provide quantitative evaluation and prediction of the behavior of the user-wheelchair system in a variety of static and dynamic situations. Such information is very important to guide efficient management of associated risks and adjust chairs accordingly. This project involves a user-centered approach for design and evaluation of a load cell based wheelchair stability assessment system (Wheel-SAS). Here, the current methods for assessing stability are described, and their shortcomings explained. The user-centered design approach being applied to the development of the associated Wheel-SAS hardware and software is described. Future work including semi-structured interviews and an online survey with wheelchair prescribers and associated healthcare professionals for deriving user requirements and a design specification for a load cell system for measuring dynamic wheelchair stability are detailed.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/WOR-2012-0418-1980 | DOI Listing |
Sensors (Basel)
December 2024
Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, Italian National Institute for Insurance Against Accidents at Work (INAIL), Via Fontana Candida 1, 00078 Monte Porzio Catone, Italy.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes major challenges to mobility and daily life activities and maintaining balance becomes a crucial issue. Individuals with SCI often need to adopt new strategies to manage balance with minimal discomfort. Sports and physical activities have become one of the most popular rehabilitation methods for people with SCI.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Orthop Case Rep
December 2024
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Sapporo Medical University, School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
Introduction: Few studies have reported the treatment and rehabilitation of combined fractures of the femur, tibia, and ankle in the same lower limb.
Case Report: A 69-year-old man presented to our hospital with a fall injury due to high-energy trauma after falling from a 5 m ladder while painting and landing on both feet. Examination revealed right femoral supracondylar; left tibial plateau; right calcaneal; left ankle crush; first and third lumbar vertebrae burst; sacral; C7, Th1, and Th9 compression; and bilateral acetabular fractures.
ISA Trans
November 2024
Graduate Institute of Biomedical Informatics, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 11031, Taiwan. Electronic address:
This paper presents an innovative control strategy for the trajectory tracking of wheelchair upper-limb exoskeleton robots, integrating sliding mode control with a barrier function-based prescribed performance approach to handle actuator faults and external disturbances. The dynamic model of the exoskeleton robot is first extended to account for these uncertainties. The control design is then divided into two phases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPsychiatry Investig
November 2024
Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Objective: This study aimed to elicit expert consensus on the necessary components of a seclusion room module required to accommodate and manage psychiatric emergency patients requiring both medical and surgical interventions in infectious disease situations.
Methods: A two-round Delphi survey was conducted among 38 medical professionals, architects, and spatial design experts. The survey assessed the effectiveness, feasibility, and urgency of spatial scales, spatial organization, and movement system domains related to the necessary elements of a seclusion room.
Assist Technol
October 2024
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
Access to powered mobility can support play and development for toddlers with disabilities. Using powered mobility in a standing posture has been theorized to support development of muscle coordination, balance, head and trunk stability, and transition to ambulation. The purpose of this study was to quantify and characterize joystick control, bodyweight support, and muscle activity while using the Permobil Explorer Mini in seated and supported standing postures.
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