A robotic wheelchair trainer: design overview and a feasibility study
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Experiencing independent mobility is important for children with a severe movement disability, but learning to drive a powered wheelchair can be labor intensive, requiring hand-over-hand assistance from a skilled therapist.</p>...
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doaj-ccf52d62a4a74d0a948f41cad365fdac2020-11-25T02:33:35ZengBMCJournal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation1743-00032010-08-01714010.1186/1743-0003-7-40A robotic wheelchair trainer: design overview and a feasibility studyMarchal-Crespo LauraFurumasu JanReinkensmeyer David J<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Experiencing independent mobility is important for children with a severe movement disability, but learning to drive a powered wheelchair can be labor intensive, requiring hand-over-hand assistance from a skilled therapist.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To improve accessibility to training, we developed a robotic wheelchair trainer that steers itself along a course marked by a line on the floor using computer vision, haptically guiding the driver's hand in appropriate steering motions using a force feedback joystick, as the driver tries to catch a mobile robot in a game of "robot tag". This paper provides a detailed design description of the computer vision and control system. In addition, we present data from a pilot study in which we used the chair to teach children without motor impairment aged 4-9 (n = 22) to drive the wheelchair in a single training session, in order to verify that the wheelchair could enable learning by the non-impaired motor system, and to establish normative values of learning rates.</p> <p>Results and Discussion</p> <p>Training with haptic guidance from the robotic wheelchair trainer improved the steering ability of children without motor impairment significantly more than training without guidance. We also report the results of a case study with one 8-year-old child with a severe motor impairment due to cerebral palsy, who replicated the single-session training protocol that the non-disabled children participated in. This child also improved steering ability after training with guidance from the joystick by an amount even greater than the children without motor impairment.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The system not only provided a safe, fun context for automating driver's training, but also enhanced motor learning by the non-impaired motor system, presumably by demonstrating through intuitive movement and force of the joystick itself exemplary control to follow the course. The case study indicates that a child with a motor system impaired by CP can also gain a short-term benefit from driver's training with haptic guidance.</p> http://www.jneuroengrehab.com/content/7/1/40 |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Marchal-Crespo Laura Furumasu Jan Reinkensmeyer David J |
spellingShingle |
Marchal-Crespo Laura Furumasu Jan Reinkensmeyer David J A robotic wheelchair trainer: design overview and a feasibility study Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation |
author_facet |
Marchal-Crespo Laura Furumasu Jan Reinkensmeyer David J |
author_sort |
Marchal-Crespo Laura |
title |
A robotic wheelchair trainer: design overview and a feasibility study |
title_short |
A robotic wheelchair trainer: design overview and a feasibility study |
title_full |
A robotic wheelchair trainer: design overview and a feasibility study |
title_fullStr |
A robotic wheelchair trainer: design overview and a feasibility study |
title_full_unstemmed |
A robotic wheelchair trainer: design overview and a feasibility study |
title_sort |
robotic wheelchair trainer: design overview and a feasibility study |
publisher |
BMC |
series |
Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation |
issn |
1743-0003 |
publishDate |
2010-08-01 |
description |
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Experiencing independent mobility is important for children with a severe movement disability, but learning to drive a powered wheelchair can be labor intensive, requiring hand-over-hand assistance from a skilled therapist.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To improve accessibility to training, we developed a robotic wheelchair trainer that steers itself along a course marked by a line on the floor using computer vision, haptically guiding the driver's hand in appropriate steering motions using a force feedback joystick, as the driver tries to catch a mobile robot in a game of "robot tag". This paper provides a detailed design description of the computer vision and control system. In addition, we present data from a pilot study in which we used the chair to teach children without motor impairment aged 4-9 (n = 22) to drive the wheelchair in a single training session, in order to verify that the wheelchair could enable learning by the non-impaired motor system, and to establish normative values of learning rates.</p> <p>Results and Discussion</p> <p>Training with haptic guidance from the robotic wheelchair trainer improved the steering ability of children without motor impairment significantly more than training without guidance. We also report the results of a case study with one 8-year-old child with a severe motor impairment due to cerebral palsy, who replicated the single-session training protocol that the non-disabled children participated in. This child also improved steering ability after training with guidance from the joystick by an amount even greater than the children without motor impairment.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The system not only provided a safe, fun context for automating driver's training, but also enhanced motor learning by the non-impaired motor system, presumably by demonstrating through intuitive movement and force of the joystick itself exemplary control to follow the course. The case study indicates that a child with a motor system impaired by CP can also gain a short-term benefit from driver's training with haptic guidance.</p> |
url |
http://www.jneuroengrehab.com/content/7/1/40 |
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