Relationship between biomechanical parameters and manipulability for a forward liner operation of a competition wheelchair

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between biomechanical parameters and manipulability by simulating a forward liner operation of a competition wheelchair using an inverse dynamics analysis. The motion was represented by inputting the joint angle of shoulder, elbow, and wrist obtained by an optical motion capture system into the musculoskeletal model. The simulation model was represented by restraining the contact area between the body model and the frame and seat of the wheelchair. A hand manipulability was defined as the angle between the vector of hand force which was estimated from the simulation and the major axis of manipulating force ellipsoid which was available for evaluating a robot arm and was calculated from the posture of the upper limb. The effectiveness of the hand manipulability for an evaluation of wheelchair operability was verified by investigating effects of the hand manipulability on biomechanical parameters. As a result, the hand force tends to depend on the relationship between the muscle force and the hand manipulability. The hand manipulability has a possibility of evaluating the wheelchair operability with a view to reducing the burden of the upper limb.