Development of the device of handicapped person to transfer ourdoors in winter season

1. 为了研究低温暴露对脊髓损伤患者的影响，我们测量了脊髓损伤患者在低温室内移动时血压、组织血流量和体温的变化。正常人在低温条件下，组织血流量迅速下降，血压逐渐升高，而脊髓损伤者的组织血流量和血压没有变化。因此，患者没有交感血流反应，预计在冷暴露时体核温度容易下降。不仅是残疾人，居住在日本最北部岛屿北海道的老年人也希望在大雪和低温的冬季实现更多的户外活动。实际上，即使在冬天最冷的季节，他们中的大多数人也必须出门，去购物和医院等。转移到户外的主要设备是轮椅。然而，在冬季使用轮椅也有很多问题；在冰雪路面非常滑，脚轮很容易被埋在雪里，轮椅的边缘太冷而无法处理。因此，开发适合冬季户外骑行的轮椅是非常有必要的。为了满足这一要求，本课题研制了一种前驱式电动轮椅。介绍了该系统的设计思想和在冰雪路面上的道路性能试验。

1. To investigate the influence of cold exposure to the patient with spinal cord injury, we measured the change of blood pressure, tissue blood flow and body temperature when the patient were moved in the cold room. When normal persons were exposed to cold, tissue blood flow decreased rapidly and BP increased gradually, but the spinal cord injured person's tissue blood flow and BP showed no change. So the patient has no sympathetic flow response that the core temperature of body is expected to decrease easily on the time of cold exposure.2. Not only the handicapped person but also the old-aged person who live in Hokkaido, the most northern island in Japan, are hoping for the realization on their more ourdoor activities, during the winter season when it has much snow and low temperature. Actually, most of them must be out of doors even if during the coldest season in the winter, to go shopping and hospitals, et al. The main device to transfer outdoors is wheelchairs. There are, however, many problems pointed out on wheelchairs to use during the winter ; very slippery on the road with snow and ice, casters were easy to bury in snow, and the rim of wheelchairs is too cold to handle. Therefore, it is strong necessary that the appropriate wheelchair for riding outdoors in the winter season is developed. In this work, an electric wheelchair with front-driving is developing to be satisfied with thus requirements. The design concept of it and the road ability test on iced or snowed road are reported.