Swadapt1: Assessment of an Electric Wheelchair-driving Robotic Module in Standarized Circuits: A Prospective, Controlled, and Randomized Pilot Study

Abstract

ObjectivesThe objective of this study is to highlight the effect of a robotic driver assistance module of Powered Wheelchair (PWC), using infrared sensors and accessorizing a commercial wheelchair) on the reduction of the number of collisions in standardized circuit in a population with neurological disorders by comparing driving performance with and without assistance.MethodsThis is a prospective, single-center, controlled, randomized, single-blind pilot study including patients with neurological disabilities who are usual drivers of electric wheelchairs. The main criterion for evaluating the device is the number of collisions with and without the assistance of a prototype anti-collision system on 3 circuits of increasing complexity. Travel times, cognitive load, driving performance, and user satisfaction are also analyzed.Results23 patients completed the study. There was a statistically significant reduction in the number of collisions on the most complex circuit.ConclusionThis study concludes that the PWC driving assistance module is efficient in terms of safety without reducing the speed of movement in a population of people with disabilities who are habitual wheelchair drivers. The prospects are therefore to conduct tests on a target population with driving failure or difficulty who could benefit from this device so as to allow them to travel independently and safely.

AssistMe: Policy iteration for the longitudinal control of a non-holonomic vehicle

“…entering an elevator, advancing on a wide corridor with static obstacles, etc.) -see the standardized circuits in [1]. Follow-up studies are necessary to address these situations, including avoiding dynamic obstacles like pedestrians walking [41].…”

“…cognitive, visual, hearing, physical, etc.) [1]. To summarize, there is a trade-off between the risk of collision and the ability to finish fast the circuit: the price to pay for reducing the risk of collision when enabling assistive control is that it takes more time in average to complete the circuit.…”

“…along trajectories defined by (1) and such that constraint (2) holds; k = 1, .., ∞ is the number of stages. In (3), E is the expected value operator expressing a sum of all possible (feasible) trajectories that are all weighted together by their probability of occurrence associated to uncertainties v d,k .…”

“…This work is inspired by a real need for bespoke control solutions applicable to medical robotics. In the European project "ADAPT", clinicians (medical doctors) identified the needs of wheelchair users [1] and in response, roboticists proposed to make use of technology and novel scientific approaches to tackle those challenges, one of which is addressed in this article.…”

VR based Power Wheelchair Simulator: Usability Evaluation through a Clinically Validated Task with Regular Users

“…For example, circuit 1 consists of a short sequence of maneuvers in a wide corridor while circuit 3 includes a ramp and a moving obstacle in its long sequence of maneuvers as well as tighter turns in narrower corridors. These same circuits have already been used in a clinical study presented in [18] with their structure further detailed. For the sake of this study, the 3 circuits were identically reproduced in VR before being reevaluated and validated by therapists in both conditions real and virtual.…”