Host: The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers
Name : [in Japanese]
Date : June 02, 2018 - June 05, 2018
Pedal wheelchairs are useful for lower limb rehabilitation of hemiplegic patients. However, burden on non-paralyzed leg is not negligible. To prevent such fatigue on the non-paralyzed leg, power-assisted pedal wheelchair is one of the solutions. However, an optimal method for such pedaling assist has not been cleared yet. In order to provide a platform to try such power-assisted wheelchair in virtual reality (VR) environment, we have developed a VR Cycling Training and Assessment System (VR-CTAS). Two types of the power-assist method were proposed in this study; constant assist-ratio method (method 1), and opposite phase replay of healthy side torque (method 2). We measured the pedaling characteristics of three healthy subject and modeled them. These pedaling torque models were used to simulate the effect of the assist methods with a single DOF dynamic model of the wheelchair.
