Heart Rate Variability Analysis for Driving a Posture Controlled Powered Wheelchair

Abstract

This paper aims to evaluate stress levels of a user when he/she is riding on a powered wheelchair. The levels of stress are considered relating to riding comfort and can be utilized for wheelchair design. This study was conducted with a powered wheelchair that can be controlled with a joystick or user posture. In addition, two test courses were used in this study, namely, a straight course and a crank one. Since the time durations for driving through each course were relatively short, a heart rate variability (HRV) analysis based on Lorenz plot and a mean distance measure has been applied. Experiments were conducted with different conditions in order to induce variations in stress levels of users.