Innovative technology design approaches to improve wheeled mobility

使用轮椅对生活质量至少有两个方面的影响：1)健康问题，如压疮和慢性过度使用损伤；2)由于建筑和自然环境的不可接近性而导致的访问问题，这些环境最适合直立姿势。尽管存在这些问题，对许多人来说，轮椅仍然是最好的移动方式（例如，它们相对容易移动和推动）。然而，轮椅并不具有变革性，也就是说，它不能让残疾人达到与非残疾人同龄人接近的行动能力水平，也不能让残疾人进行面对面的互动和充分参与社区活动。这个康复工程研究项目通过将两种不断发展的技术融合成一种连贯的新移动设备，重新发明了辅助移动设备，解决了现有轮椅的不足之处。第一个是动态轮式移动，它通过使用动态可调定位，为传统轮椅增加了重要的功能。第二种是动力行走外骨骼，它可以实现高度期望的站立和行走功能，以及与康复步态训练相关的治疗益处。不幸的是，外骨骼有明显的可用性问题，比如速度慢、范围有限、潜在的皮肤问题和难以转移——我的目标是将可拆卸的外骨骼对接到轮式框架中，所有这些问题都可以解决。一系列工程研究项目将通过解决以下主题来迭代开发这一概念：外骨骼驱动方法，以适应内置集成座椅，窄宽度，以及促进转移和其他轮椅功能的通道；并设计了一个独特的轮式框架的对接和可释放附件机构，具有足够的旋转刚度和站立稳定性。目标是一个单一的移动设备，不仅可以优化日常活动（即轮椅座位和推进，动态定位），而且还可以作为一种易于使用的康复工具，用于治疗益处（即可拆卸的动力外骨骼，用于步行逗留）。这对行动不便的人的生活有重大的潜在好处。

Wheelchair use has consequences to quality of life in at least two areas: 1) health issues such as pressure sores and chronic overuse injury; and 2) access problems due to the inaccessible nature of the built and natural environments that are most amenable to upright postures. Even with these concerns, wheelchairs are still the best form of mobility for many people (e.g. they are relatively easy to transfer into and propel). However, wheelchairs are simply not transformative, i.e. they do not allow a person with a disability to attain a level of mobility performance that approaches that of their non-disabled peers, nor do they typically allow for face to face interactions and full participation in the community. This Rehabilitation Engineering research program addresses the inadequacy of existing wheelchairs with a re-invention of mobility aids by merging two evolving technologies into a coherent new mobility device. The first is Dynamic Wheeled Mobility, which adds significant functionality to conventional wheelchairs through the use of on-the-fly adjustable positioning. The second is Powered Walking Exoskeletons, which enable highly desired standing and walking functions, as well as therapeutic benefits associated with rehabilitation gait training. Unfortunately, exoskeletons have significant usability concerns such as slow speed, limited range, potential skin issues, and difficult transfers - all issues addressable in my objective of docking a detachable exoskeleton to a wheeled frame. A series of engineering research projects will iteratively develop this concept by tackling topics such as: exoskeleton actuation methods to accommodate built-in integrated seating, narrow width, and access for promoting transfers and other wheelchair functions; and design of docking and releasable attachment mechanisms to a unique wheeled frame with adequate rigidity for wheeling and stability for standing. The goal is a single mobility device that not only optimizes daily activities (i.e. wheelchair seating and propulsion, with dynamic positioning), but that also serves as an easy-to-use rehabilitation tool for therapeutic benefits (i.e. a detachable powered exoskeleton for walking sojourns). This has significant potential benefits for the lives of people with mobility impairments.