Article

Wheelchairs are an essential assistive device for many individuals with injury or
disability. Manual wheelchairs provide a relatively low-cost solution to the
mobility needs of such individuals. Furthermore, they provide an effective means
of improving the user's cardiopulmonary function and upper-limb muscle strength.
However, manual wheelchairs have a loss gross mechanical efficiency, and thus the
risk of user fatigue and upper-limb injury is increased.
Electric-powered
wheelchairs reduce the risk of injury and provide a more convenient means of
transportation. However, they have a large physical size and are relatively
expensive. Accordingly, the present study utilizes a quality function deployment
method to develop a wheelchair with a user-selectable manual/electric propulsion
mode and an auxiliary solar power supply system. The auxiliary solar power supply
increased the travel range of the wheelchair by approximately 26% compared with
that of a wheelchair powered by battery alone. Moreover, the wheelchair has a
modular design and can be disassembled and folded for ease of transportation or
storage. Overall, the present results suggest that the proposed wheelchair
provides an effective and convenient means of meeting the mobility needs of
individuals with mobility difficulties.

Langue : ANGLAIS