The Further Development of a User-Friendly Exercise System for Wheelchair Users
By Ammer, William A., BS; Spaeth, Donald M., PhD; Cooper, Rory A., PhD; McCartney, Mark A.; Ammer, Seth W.; RESNA 27th International Annual Conference 2004: Technology & Disability: Research, Design, Practice, & Policy,Publication Date: 2004
Paper discusses the GAMEWheels exercise system, which was developed to facilitate exercise for people who use manual wheelchairs. The system incorporates an electronic interface between a set of instrumented rollers and a personal computer, allowing a person to use their manual wheelchair as a joystick when playing video games. The system has been proven to be effective, yet shortcomings have been found in interviews with initial study participants. Three items were found to be the most pressing issues among the participants: (1) the original system was limited in that it was too small to accommodate a wide variety of chairs; (2) the roller system did not have an authentic feel in the startup and coast down phases; and (3) users required the help of another person to ready the system for use. Implications for technical design improvements are discussed.
Published by: Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) (Website:http://www.resna.org)
