Power Wheelchair Control Based on Joint Position

Principal Investigator: Richard Simpson, PhD, ATP

2006-2007

Joint position sensing may be a better method of interacting with a power wheelchair than currently available methods for some users.  The greatest benefits of this approach are the possibility of providing proportional control from a very wide range of input joints while decoupling the user input from the mobility device.  To investigate the feasibility of this new method of wheelchair control, the output from a commercially available joint position sensing “data glove” will be interfaced with a wheelchair controller.  After writing the software, limited clinical trials will be conducted on a small number of able bodied subjects.  They will be familiarized with power wheelchair driving on both a virtual and physical course and will complete the same predefined course using both joint position sensing and a traditional joystick.  Data will be collected on subject driving proficiency and preference.  Statistical analysis will test the hypothesis that joint position sensing is at least 80% as efficient as a traditional joystick.  An exit interview will provide further feedback on the feasibility of joint position sensing as a method of power mobility control.