抄録
Not only handicapped people, but also elderly people living in Hokkaido, the northern most island in Japan, desire to participate in outdoor activities during the winter season which is characterized by heavy snow and low temperatures. Most of these people are required to venture outdoors to go shopping or to hospitals, even under severe conditions. Wheelchairs are generally used for outdoor transport. There are, however, many problems with wheelchair use during the winter; roads covered by snow and ice are very slippery, casters are easily buried in the snow, and handrims are too cold to handle. Therefore, wheelchair appropriate for outdoor use during the winter season is strongly desired. We have developed an electric wheelchair with front-wheel drive which will be effective for outdoor use during winter. In this work, three types of wheelchairs with electric motors (of front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive with free casters and rear-wheel drive with mechanically controlled casters) were tested for the driving ability on iced roads, snow-covered roads, and on indoor floors. In addition, computer simulations were carried out for driving under snowy conditions for these three types of wheelchairs with electric motors.
