Pedaling assistive control method of cycling wheelchair for hemiplegia patients

Abstract

The cycling wheelchair is a new type of mobility aid for lower-limb-disabled individuals. Patients can drive the cycling wheelchair by pressing the front pedals with their lower limbs. The device enables patients to effectively rehabilitate their disabled legs and partake in outdoor activities. However, lower-limb-disabled individuals cannot move both legs with equal ease. Typical hemiplegia patients can voluntarily move their healthy leg, but not their disabled leg. Consequently, some of these individuals pedal the cycling wheelchair mainly with their healthy leg, leading to overuse of the limb during their daily activities. This study proposes a pedaling assistive control method that adjusts the different capabilities of the healthy and disabled legs of hemiplegia patients. The proposed control method was applied to a cycling wheelchair with a servo motor for power assist. In experiments, the proposed method reduced the work required for pedaling in two common environments; a planar floor and an upward inclined surface.