Development of wheel that can climb stairs and performance evaluation.

Abstract

At present, demand for wheelchair is increasing due to the aging population and the growing number of people with disabilities. However, conventional wheelchairs are unable to climb stairs because of the small size of their front wheels. In this study, we focused on the front wheel of the wheelchair and developed a mechanism where the wheel radius increases only when climbing stairs. The purpose of this mechanism is to maintain mobility and safety on flat surface, while reducing the impact on users when climbing stairs and achieving stable running.