Development of a Lightweight, Adjustable, Modular Pediatric Wheelchair- Phase II

Principal Investigator/s: Rory A. Cooper, PhD; Chris Willems, ME

Co-Investigator/s: Eun-kyoung Hong BS, Rosemarie Cooper, ATP

2005-2007

Although manual wheelchairs have improved, there are still important innovations to be made in pediatric products. Children have unique needs that must be addressed in designs for their use. Children with mobility disabilities require wheelchairs that meet both their mobility and seating needs. A manual pediatric tilt-in- space wheelchair is a useful solution.

Many children with disabilities, due to diagnosis or age, may be unable to independently shift weight and/or do not have the skills necessary to operate a power wheelchair. Currently available manual tilt-in-space wheelchairs are often very bulky, scaled-down versions of adult chairs. Additionally, most pediatric wheelchairs adjust to a child’s growing body dimensions but are unable to accommodate a child’s change in function. Consequently, pediatric users with new or progressive conditions may need to change wheelchairs frequently, leading to high equipment costs. In other cases, they may continue using the old equipment, which can lead to poor health and development, and even thwart rehabilitation efforts. A more affordable, highly adjustable or modular design would help to fulfill this need. This type of chair would be useful in rehab hospitals where depot-style wheelchairs are most commonly used. If these hospitals would, instead, employ a highly adjustable rehab chair, it would make in-patient treatment and the transition to out-patient care more healthy and comfortable. In addition to enriching the U.S. wheelchair market, this product would benefit the international wheelchair market where there is a great need for high quality low-cost wheelchairs. Our goal is to design a simple pediatric tilt-in-space wheelchair that is adjustable, modular, ergonomic, comfortable, easy to use, lightweight, durable, and low cost.

Based on this goal, the prototype was designed to meet practical mobility needs and provide adequate support and comfort to improve the quality of life for the user. Several design improvements were addressed through having focus group, and the design team decided on the following suggestions: increasing the durability of seating components and seat back, redesigning the height and ankle angle so that they can be independently adjusted for each footplate, and changing into a foldable footrest for easier storage. These design changes are required for anticipation of ANSI/RESNA durability and clinical testing. The prototype for having ANSI/RESNA durability and clinical testing is almost fabricated with increased durability and design improvements incorporating the comments of the focus group. The wheelchair will be tested using ANSI/RESNA durability testing before scheduling human subjects. The human subjects testing will occur in an activities of daily living course in addition to the in-home trial. All participants will be required to complete questionnaires regarding the pediatric prototype and their own wheelchair. Also, both PALM wheelchair and their own wheelchairs will be monitored through data logging devices. We will complete testing and analyze collected data in the future.