Conception of an innovative racing wheelchair simulator and instrumented wheels to assess and improve the racing propulsion biomechanics via real-time biofeedback

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There are about 260 000 manual Wheelchair (WC) users in Canada. Due to many physical, social and environmental barriers, WC use is often associated to a sedentary lifestyle, physical deconditioning and decreased quality of life, leading to annual costs of more than 8 M$ due to morbidity. WC sports may reduce this spiral of physical inactivity. However, as everyday WC mobility causes secondary musculoskeletal impairment to half of the WC users due to a high and repetitive joint load, then WC sports need special attention because the joint load is even higher.***Unfortunately, knowledge on WC sports biomechanics is scarce due to the unavailability of adequate measurement equipment. No current instrumented wheel can record propulsion kinetics during highly dynamic conditions such as WC sports. Moreover, no current WC simulator can reproduce controlled, realistic WC sports conditions or provide biofeedback to improve the users' propulsion techniques.***My long-term main objective is to design new technologies and generate new knowledge in WC sport biomechanics. During the next 5 years, the following specific objectives, which all focus on research in biomechanics and technologies related to wheelchair racing, will be addressed:***Obj. 1: Design and validate two new instrumented racing wheels to record bilateral propulsion kinetics in real racing conditions, using the users' own WCs, without adding significant weight or rolling resistance.***Obj. 2: Design and validate an innovative wheelchair simulator to record racing kinematics, electromyography (EMG) and kinetics with the new wheel prototypes in a controlled and realistic laboratory environment, using the users' own WCs. This simulator will make use of advanced force feedback, visuals and acoustics to provide an immersive racing environment to the users.***Obj. 3: Analyze racing biomechanics and simulate the effect of different techniques on performance and joint load based on biomechanical acquisitions on the new simulator.***Obj. 4: Create a real-time biofeedback system that estimates the joint dynamics in real time and that provides this variable as auditory, visual and force biofeedback to the users.***This innovative work will allow full understanding of racing biomechanics and therefore maximize performance and reduce joint load. It will allow the testing of new prototypes of standard and sports wheelchairs in controlled and realistic conditions, allow research on the development of fatigue and injury and on the effects of biofeedback during WC training. It will also allow the formation of highly qualified personnel in the fields of WC sports technologies. In the future, this research program will allow the integration of personalized sports training into the rehabilitation process, benefiting the whole population of manual WC users and reducing the enormous costs related to physical inactivity.**