The M3S-Based Electric Wheelchair for the People With Disabilities in Taiwan
By Chen, Weoi-Luen; Chen, Shih-Ching; Chen, Yu-Luen; Chen, Show-Ho; Hsieh, Jung-Chai; Lai, Jin-Shin; Kuo, Te-Son; Disability and Rehabilitation, Vol. 27, No. 24, pp. 1471-1477Publication Date: December 2005
Study conducted to design a head-controlled electric wheelchair system in Taiwan that conforms to multiple master-multiple slave (M3S) standards. The wheelchair consists of three parts: (1) the input device, (2) the output device, and (3) the safety device. Head movement is used to control the device’s movements, as the user can tilt his or head forward or backwards to maneuver the wheelchair. Ten people with C5 incomplete spinal cord injury participated in the study, and were randomly assigned into groups A and B. The participants assigned to group A operated the head-controlled wheelchair with M3S standards before operating the head-controlled wheelchair system without M3S standards. The participants assigned to group B were assigned to operate the head-controlled wheelchair system without M3S standard before operating the head-controlled wheelchair system with M3S standard. Time taken to learn to operate the wheelchair was the study’s main outcome measure. The authors found that proficiency was the most telling factor in the study, as the M3S control system was a negligible factor in determining time taken to learn to use the device. Implications for future research are discussed.
Published by: Taylor & Francis, Limited (Website:http://taylorandfrancis.org)
International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (Web Site: http://www.isprm.org )
