Study for driving characteristics of handbikes

Abstract

The present study aimed to find an effective driving method for the adaptive handbike and to examine the effect of dominant and non-dominant hands on the driving motion of the handbike. Using commonly used strain gauges attached directly to the left and right cranks of the handbike, the driving torque in the tangential direction necessary for crank propulsion, and the non-driving torque in the lateral directions (inside and outside) were measured. At the same time, the joint angles of the shoulder and elbow joints during the arm-crank motion were measured using a three-dimensional motion analysis device. The driving motion was performed with the synchronous motion pattern of the crank while maintaining the crank rotation at 30 rpm. The test was conducted in 12 healthy subjects under three exercise load conditions. The results showed that under high exercise load condition, the non-driving torque increased immediately after the maximum extension of the elbow joint in the push down phase. In addition, the greatest difference between the dominant and non-dominant hands was observed during the push down phase ; especially, under high exercise load condition, the dominant hand yielded superior driving torque. Since activity of the triceps brachii muscle is required in the push down phase, this probably accounts for the difference between the dominant and non-dominant hands in this phase.