Abstract
Many cushions for wheelchairs to prevent pressure sore on the skin are sold and those cushions are designed to deconcentrate the pressure at the body-cushion interface. But at the same time, ride comfort in driving a wheelchair decreases because a rider receives large vibration. In our study, we designed the cushion comfortable to ride which has good pressure relief effect. We evaluated the pressure distribution of the cushions and the ride comfort using the vibrations of head and seat frame when driving a powered wheelchair. We measured also the pressure distribution of newly designed cushion by using 3-D accelerations sensors. From experimental results, it became clear that the cushion is comparable to typical conventional cushions. In addition, it is confirmed that the cushion has potential as the cushion which is comfortable to ride and prevent pressure sore.
