International Journal of Applied Engineering Research

ISSN 0973-4562 Volume 2, Number 3 (2007), pp. 421430

Research India Publications
http://www.ripublication.com/ijaer.htm

Innovations in Powered Mobility Device for Hands

Impaired Patients
Divya Gosain1, Divya Jyoti1, Divya Asiwal1
Shankar Singh1, Sachin Maheshwari1, Sachin Kumar Agarwal2
1

Division of Manufacturing Processes and Automation Engineering

2
Division of Electronics and Communication Engineering
Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology, Dwarka, New Delhi-110078 (INDIA)

Abstract
Power wheelchairs with 'Intelligent' Controls are becoming more and more
the focus of continuing research in the field of motor control in assistive
technologies. The key focus of this research paper is to develop a wheeled
mobility device, to help hands impaired people, with limited or no mobility in
their lower limbs due to injury or medical conditions, to be comfortably
mobile in indoor surroundings.
The primary function of an assistive device is to satisfy the needs of the
disabled consumer. Advancement in technology has led to innovations and
breakthroughs in the development of transport-safe wheelchairs for the
welfare of the immobilized. An assistive mobility device is also sought to
match with the individual's environment so as to enable them to meaningfully
engage in day-to-day activities.
This paper constitutes an initial step towards the development of a design
of a battery powered wheeled mobility device with foot controls for speed
control and directional maneuverability based on the specialized concerns of
consumers. Finite Element Analysis has also been performed on the frame for
stress analysis of structural members.
Keywords: Power wheelchair, Mobility, Assistive technology, Wheelchair
design, Finite Element Analysis.

Introduction
Due to injury, medical conditions and/or old age, reduced mobility or an even severe
disability can affect anyone. Due to advanced technology in todays world, a huge
range of mobility, disability and living aids products are available to help in many

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ways, from minor ailments to serious disabilities. Partial or total paralysis, amputation
or severe spinal injury, types of arthritis, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, head
injury and cerebral palsy any of these conditions may impair the strength, speed,
endurance and coordination necessary for proper mobility [1].
To aid people requiring such kinds of assistance, scientific advancements are
continuously drifting towards rehabilitation engineering. Several scientific studies
have also addressed problems related to safety, wheelchair restraint and environmental
barriers [2].
There has been a surge in the development of new generation powered mobility
devices that are sought to be made safe, stable and affordable. There still remains,
however, a lot to be done as regards addressing specific disability problems (such as
foot controls), lightweight materials for wheelchairs, enhanced drive mechanisms, and
intelligent controls for powered mobility.
There are many Rehabilitation Research and Development centers around the
world actively involved in designing, building and testing prototypes for all types of
disability aids. These include wheelchairs, both, manual and power driven, scooters,
stair lifts, portable ramps, etc.
The aim of this paper is to design and develop a wheeled mobility device for hands
impaired persons with limited or no mobility in their lower limbs as per the
assessment of their specialized needs. The frame designed has been based on the
principle of optimization of strength and weight. Effort has also been made to include
a basic, low cost electrical circuit for power drive. It has been tested it for directional
maneuverability and hardware compatibility.

Literature Review
This section of the paper deals with the investigations and research work carried out
in the field of powered mobility for the disabled. Specific topics include needs
assessment, design guidelines, instrumentation and control circuit, seating ergonomics
and safety.
Mobility device users include persons using power wheelchairs, manual
wheelchairs, scooters, canes, crutches, walkers and lower extremity prosthesis [3].
This paper looks into the needs of hands impaired persons who have lost the use of
their lower limbs for walking purposes due to disease, muscle weakening or injury. A
Pediatric Powered Wheelchair Screening Test (PPWST) has been developed for
children suffering from cerebral palsy. It has been designed to help clinicians
determine whether a child with cerebral palsy has the specific cognitive skills found
to be related to powered wheelchair driving [4].
Various design specifications have been listed for different kinds of wheelchairs. In
addition to that, foldable designs are much in demand as they are easier to transport.
But they also are less stable and sturdy compared to non collapsible ones. There are
design standards stated for wheelchair frames, safety belts, tyres and casters, footrests
and armrests, batteries, chargers and other electronic instrumentation.

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Powered chairs generally include as a standard feature a manually controlled joystick

to regulate the chair's speed and direction. For severe motor disability, wheelchair
controls can also be configured as unidirectional switches instead of joysticks [5].
Most manufacturers also offer customized control options to accommodate the varied
abilities of the user, including head and chin switches, push-button controls, and even
foot control options [6].
Investigations are also underway to improve the control of battery powered
wheelchairs by accounting for the uncertainty in the back electromotive force (emf)
signal at low speeds. The addition of signal processing algorithms at the joystick can
improve electric-powered wheelchair control. Micro-controllers improve control not
only by permitting repeatable tuning and control of certain system parameters, but
also by allowing implementation of dynamic control algorithms (Cooper, 1995b) [7].
For foot maneuverability, developers have tried to modify the Drive Master Foot
Steering Model to have a foot controlled steering mechanism for power chairs.
Custom fitted floor mounted disc attached to existing steering column near the floor
offers complete steering capability [8].
A wheelchair with a sagging support causes poor posture, that, over time, can lead
to back pain, neck pain, and spinal and pelvic deformities. Project have been
undertaken to develop an affordable, lightweight, comfortable, orthopaedically
correct, and easily adjustable back supports for wheelchairs.
Computer simulation study models highlight the special requirements for transportsafe wheelchairs by investigating the crash loads applied to a wheelchair [9]. There
has also been an attempt to define crashworthy design criteria, develop appropriate
seating component test protocols and applying these test protocols to commercial
wheelchair seating systems. A stable base of support in a wheeled mobility chair is
essential from which to perform functional tasks, such as reaching and bending,
without risk of falling out of the wheelchair [10].

Material Selection
Material selection for a wheelchair frame depends on a number of factors like
durability, strength, cost, appearance, design and manufacturing flexibility
(collapsible and non-collapsible chairs) and weight.
Materials and Properties
The wheelchair frame is the rigid, tubular structure that supports the seat and the
wheels. Steel and Aluminum are the two most common types of materials used. If a
wheelchair is made out of high-quality steel, then its frame is very rugged. However,
steel tends to be heavy.
Aluminum is much lighter than steel and can reduce the overall weight of the
wheelchair. However, it is also weaker than most steels. Titanium is beginning to be
used more often. It has the strength of steel but is also very light. The only drawback
is that it is expensive and can drive up the cost of a wheelchair. It is becoming more
and more common for manufacturers to use a combination of different materials in
order to create the strongest and lightest wheelchair. Carbon fiber composites can

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produce high strength with very little weight. Once they are further developed and
tested, the use of composites should reduce the weight of wheelchairs considerably
[11].
A new material on the block for frame design is PVC. Wheelchair construction
requires a lot less machinery and welding equipment with PVC material to affect
assembly. It is also a lot more durable in adverse weather conditions and has a higher
degree of durability. The elastic behavior of PVC also allows the wheelchair to
withstand large amounts of loading without brittle fracture [12].
Analysis and Selection
To maintain tradeoff between strength and weight, we have used both, mild steel and
aluminum by selecting appropriate tubing diameters, wall thicknesses and frame
geometry. The comparison between the properties of three common frame materials is
given below:
Table 1: Properties of Common Frame Materials
Material

Aluminum
Steel
Titanium

Modulus of
Elasticity
(MPa)
10-11
30
15-16.5

Yield
Point
(MPa)
11-59
46-162
40-120

Specific
Gravity
168.5
490
280

Though titanium frames would be equal in strength as compared to steel and about
half as heavy, they would be very costly. We have, therefore, selected mild steel
tubing for our basic frame, along with aluminum sheets for backrest, seat and side
covers.

Design
A 7-step basic design procedure has been followed to develop a prototype for the
mobility device.
1. Need Assessment: Efforts have been made to find out the exact nature of end
users for the foot controlled powered mobility device. Once identified, their
special needs have been taken into account to propose a best-fit design.
2. Idealization of Concept: The design of the power chair is based on the concept
of helping hands impaired people maneuver themselves in the best manner in
indoor surroundings. Seat design, foot rest and arm rests, maximum speed,
directional maneuverability, have all been conceptualized based on ergonomic
correctness and comfort.

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425

3. Material Selection: The materials used for different parts of the device have
been decided after optimizing on minimum weight and cost and maximum
strength.
4. Design of Frame and Electronic Circuit: This paper proposes a simple
mechanical design, together with a low cost electronic drive circuit. The
structural members have been designed using the BIS standards for
dimensions.
5. Finite Element Analysis (FEA): Solid Modeling and FEA techniques have
been employed for non linear stress analysis of structural members.
6. Prototype Fabrication
7. Testing/Validation: The prototype has been tested for steering maneuverability
and the electric circuit checked for hardware compatibility.
Mechanical Frame Design
Solid Modeling of the prototype design has been done using ProE Wildfire (Version
2) package. It is the worlds most commercially adopted 3D product design solution.
ProE Wildfire has an automated generation of associative tooling design, assembly
instructions, and machine code that allow for maximum production efficiency.
The materials used for the fabrication of the prototype are Mild Steel (1" square
pipe) and Aluminum sheet (thickness 28 SWG/ 0.378 mm), as per selection criteria
discussed above. The dimensions of the prototype are given in Table 2.
Table 2: Prototype Dimensions
Dimensions
Length
Width
Height
Seat Height
Front Wheel
(Diameter)
Rear Wheel
(Diameter)

In mm
178
203
305
203
76
102

Mild steel tubes have been welded into position for the frame. Aluminum sheets
have been bent and riveted. The foot plate for steering and the connector switch for
speed control have been mounted on the foot rest. The 3D view and the Front View of
the foot controlled powered mobility device has been shown in Figures 1 and 2.
For design of steering, the basic considerations taken into account have been
simplicity, easy maneuverability and stability while turning. The mechanism used has
been Link Mechanism, with the use of rods and bearings. Due to space constraints,
and steering connections to be made to the footplate, this was found to be the
optimum solution. The horizontal footrest is mounted on a vertical rod, which is

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connected to a horizontal mild steel link, which in turn, is screwed onto the front
caster wheels in the horizontal plane.

Figure 1: 3D View

Figure 2: Side View

Figure 3 shows the steering and brake mechanism. External threads have been cut
(using lathe) on the drive axle. The bearings have been attached using interference fit
technique. Single pivoted mechanical rim brakes have been used on the rear wheels
for braking action. They are a customized modification of cycle brakes. Pressing the
paddle applies the brakes, and OFF position of the 4- position connector switch
stops the motor.

Figure 3: Steering and Braking Mechanisms

(a) Caster
Wheel (b)Brake Mechanism (c) Bearing Assembly

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427

Key Drive Elements for Prototype

For the power chair prototype developed, four control stages have been obtained
using the combination of mechanical and electrical drives. These are:
1. Float
2. Forward (or Fast)
3. Reverse
4. Stop (or Brake)
A four position, specially fabricated, bakelite switch has been made to alternate
between these stages. As the contactor on the switch touches the specified design
stage, as a consequence, that function is performed. The following are the key circuit
elements for the power drive:
1. 12V, 2800 RPM DC Motor
2. 12V completely Sealed Lead Acid Battery
3. Rack and Pinion Gear Arrangement for reducing the speed. The worm had 78
teeth and the rack has 7 teeth cut on it.
4. Resistances for speed control. The prototype uses two 5 and 10 kilo-ohm
resistances for different speed combinations. If we do not use any resistance,
the maximum speed, that is, the one obtained from gear reduction is set. By
using one resistance and then two resistances in series, different speeds can be
chosen for motion in the forward direction. The reverse has only one speed.
5. Four position Connector Switch to set different control stages.
6. Pulley-Belt Arrangement to transfer the power from motor to the drive axle.

Figure 4: Flow Diagram for Speed Control Circuit

Finite Element Analysis

Finite Element Method was originally developed for numerical solution of complex
problems in structural mechanics. In FEM, the structural system is modeled by a set
of finite elements which represent different physical properties.

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The ANSYS Workbench platform offers automatic meshing and access to model
parameters for non - linear stress analysis for design performance simulations. Finite
Element Analysis has been done on the structural members of the frame for testing
their rigidity and results thus obtained are in conformity with the acceptable design.
We have performed the FEA of the seat and the back rest part of the mechanical
frame of the wheelchair. For this purpose, a load of 65 Kgf is applied on the
wheelchair seat and back rest. ANSYS uses Von Mises yield criterion for stress
analysis.

Figure 5: FEA Von Mises Stress

Figure 6: FEA Y-Component Stress

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429

Figure 7: Final Prototype Model

Conclusion
The prototype model has been developed and the electrical circuit tested for hardware
compatibility. The usage of ProE and Finite Element Analysis was invaluable to the
design and analysis of the frame of wheelchair. Care is taken while designing the
frame to have minimum number of welded joints, and if possible, to replace them
with bends and pipes. Weight of a wheelchair is also a crucial factor, and proper care
was taken to make it lightweight.
Later, the final design will be tested and validated to achieve the desired goals.
And based on this, the actual model of the power chair will be developed. Moreover,
the results of the analysis will be used to aid future frame designs in an effort to have
the best balance between weight and strength while maintaining adherence to the
governing guidelines of Wheel chair.

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Furumasu Jan, Guerette Paula, Tefft Donita, Rancho Los Amigos Medical
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http://atwiki.assistivetech.net/Environmental_Barriers_to_Community_Transp
ortation_Experienced_by_Mobility_Device_Users
http://www.rercwm.pitt.edu/index.html

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[4]

Furumasu Jan, Guerette Paula, Tefft Donita, Rancho Los Amigos National
Rehabilitation Center, Downey, CA, USA; J, Relevance of the Pediatric
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Cooper, R.A. Sch. of Health & Rehabilitation Sci., Pittsburgh Univ., PA;
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Biology Magazine, IEEEPublication, 1995; Volume 4, Issue 2.
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Pettit, D.J.; Cooper, R.A.; Bennett, P., Design and Evaluation Of A Simple,
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