Abstract
One of the most widespread vehicle aid for movement of individuals with mobility impairment is the wheelchair. Although manual wheelchairs are intuitive in propulsion and effective in manoeuvrability, they might lead to physical disorders and pushing fatigue. Among various power-assisted devices, rear add-on solutions are good trade off in portability and thrust effectiveness, but lack of handling in narrow spaces and control reliability. A novel read add-on assistance device based on a controlled propulsive and steering wheel is here presented. Functional design and control laws are analysed. Performance evaluation is carried out through a dynamic model. Simulations of curved trajectories with or without add-on assistance show how the device may reduce user’s effort in propulsion, providing longitudinal thrust and yaw torque consistent with the user motion request, detected by means of sensorised handrims, still preserving the intuitive pushing pattern as manual standard wheelchair.
