Application of Alber's principle to develop a device supporting wheelchair in stair climbing

Abstract

This paper presents developing Alber principle for machine supporting wheelchair in climbing stairs. The designed machine can support wheelchair and disabled people with total weight 80 kg climb up and down most of stairs and with speed 10-15 stairs per minute. Moving wheelchair and disabled people need assistant person who will hold handle and control the machine. The machine is designed with a simple structure, manufactured with low cost and simple controlling. Therefore the machine can be upgraded and manufactured in future.

Passive Add-On Mechanism for Electric Wheelchairs to Support Step Climbing Using Rider Motion

“…In contrast, the method proposed by Prajapat et al [8] is adaptable to various types of steps, including outdoor stairs, but its add-on mechanism is too large and bulky for outdoor mobility. The method suggested by Dang et al [9] enables ascending and descending stairs indoors but necessitates assistance from a caregiver. Although the method introduced by Phannil et al [10] ensures safe stair ascent and descent using a crawler, the mechanism is heavy and challenging to transport.…”

“…Prajapat et al [8] and Dang et al [9] have investigated the use of active components in mechanisms that can be attached to existing manual wheelchairs for stair climbing. Phannil et al also introduced the concept of a track-based add-on mechanism [10], and Lehner Lifttechnik GmbH [11] has commercialized a similar system.…”

“…These mechanisms facilitate climbing multiple steps with the assistance of a power source. However, they either still necessitate caregiver assistance [8], [9], or increase the overall weight of the wheelchair (up to 64 kg) [11], posing challenges in storage or maneuverability by the user when not in use.…”