Development of a traveling direction indicator by the body movement of a wheelchair

Abstract

Currently, the number of elderly people in Japan is on the rise, and it is expected that the demand for welfare equipment will increase. Among them, electric wheelchairs are especially widely used. However, many of the electric wheelchairs in use are blocked and it is difficult to work with them. In addition, since the wheelchair user basically does not move his / her own body, there are drawbacks such as a decrease in physical strength and aggravation of dementia. In this study, we developed a device that indicates the direction of travel by the pressure difference of the air cushion placed in the seat of the wheelchair according to the body movement of the passenger and confirmed its effectiveness by attaching it to an electric wheelchair.