Evaluation of a collaborative wheelchair system in cerebral palsy and traumatic brain injury users

Abstract

Objective. This article describes the evaluation of the Collaborative Wheelchair Assistant (CWA), a robotic wheelchair that lets the user control the speed and provides guiding assistance along virtual paths programmed in software. Methods. Three people with cerebral palsy and 2 with traumatic brain injury, who had been ruled out as candidates for independent mobility, were recruited. These subjects were first trained to use the CWA with and without path guidance before completing a navigation task. Results. All subjects were able, after a few training sessions, to drive the wheelchair with path guidance safely and efficiently in an environment with obstacles and narrow passageways. The CWA enabled the subjects to drastically reduce their effort and intervention level without compromising performance. Conclusions. The results suggest that the CWA can provide driving assistance adapted to various disabilities. It could be used as a safe mobility device for some subjects who could eventually control a normal powered wheelchair after training and provide a way to increase the mobility of subjects with larger motor control or cognitive deficiencies.