The effects of electric walking assistance to a walking cart on safety feeling of older adults.

Abstract

Effects of electric walking assistance to a cart were examined, focusing on feeling of safety by order adult users, which will facilitate their voluntary walking and outgoing. Twelve healthy older adults and 8 university students participated the experiment, in which they walked a 200m test course twice using a cart, with and without electric walking assistance. Results showed that both older and young adults walked slowly with electric walking assistance, and they reported more safety feeling to the cart with the assistance. When evaluating of smoothness in using a cart, only older adults reported easier with an assistance at “a flat road”, and only female participants reported easier use at “the turning point” with the assistance. Although young adults looked evaluating assistance’s smoothness negatively because of its weight, older adults placed a high value to it because of their stabilities. Importance of designs for the safety feeling will be discussed.