Study on the wheelchair user’s body vibration and wheelchair driving torque when wheelchair is ascending / descending the boundary curb between pavement and roadway

Abstract

The design of the boundary curb between pavement and roadway constructed in the crosswalk is requested to secure safety and smooth traffic for all passing people. It is preferable to set the step of curb to be about 2 cm for the visually handicapped persons to ascertain the boundary. However, this step is a barrier for the wheelchair user. This research aims the quantitative evaluation of the typical existing curbs from wheelchair userpsilas viewpoint, and the final proposal of the universal design of an easy-to-use curb for all. The wheelchair userpsilas body vibration and body load were examined by using the three directional accelerometers and the torque meter equipped wheelchair. It was shown to be able to evaluate the curb objectively by assuming the body vibration and the wheelchair driving torque as a measure.