Design of an automated multiposition dynamic wheelchair

Abstract

This work presents a design for an automatized multiposition dynamic wheelchair used to transport quadriplegic patients by reconfiguring a manual wheelchair structure. An electric ac-tuator is attached to a four-bar mechanism fixed to each side of a wheelchair’s backrest to reach multiposition. The entire device is actuated through a PID controller. An experimental test is carried out in a simplified wheelchair structure. Finally, the structure of the wheelchair is evaluated through the Dynamic analysis and Finite Element Method under the payload computed with the most criti-cal position reached by the mechanism.