SUMMARY
Advances over the last few decades have dramatically improved the quality of life for wheelchair users, from accessibility to overall ride comfort. However, important aspects of wheelchair usage remain poorly understood. Increased knowledge about wheelchair usage could help improve comfort and prevent any secondary disabilities resulting from long term use of wheelchairs. Furthermore wheelchair usage information would help design products according to user needs.
This thesis is focused on two aspects related to wheeled mobility: 1) Evaluating the impact of a new tire design on powered mobility, and 2) Instrumentation that permits better monitoring and assessment of wheeled mobility in everyday use.
Extensive studies have been conducted in the past that show the benefits of using a pneumatic tire over solid foam core tires. Benefits include lower rolling resistance and a more comfortable ride. However, pneumatic tires have a shorter lifespan and require maintenance. The Tweel™ technology tires developed by Michelin USA is comprised of an outer polyurethane ring supported by polyurethane fins instead of metal spokes, which allow the tire to deflect under pressure. As a wheelchair tire they offer a potential breakthrough as they have deflection properties similar to a pneumatic tire while maintaining the low maintenance of a solid foam-core tire. A study was conducted to compare the Tweel™ technology tires the standard solid foam-core tires for vibration transmission, traction and overall life span.
The second section of this thesis is part of a greater ongoing research project at CATEA (Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access) aimed at understanding everyday wheelchair usage. This required the development of a methodology to measure bouts of mobility that characterize wheelchair usage; which includes the number of starts, stops, turns and distance traveled throught the day.