Adaptability evaluation of wheelchair based on physical and mental load

This study, which examined five healthy young male subjects, was intended to evaluate wheelchair adaptability based on physical and mental loads. Joint torque and muscle energy consumption of the upper limbs were used as indexes of the physical load. Salivary α-amylase activity (sAMY) was used as an index of the physical and mental loads. To examine the influence of the driving resistance and wheelchair dimension, each subject drove a wheelchair under three conditions (standard, high seat position, high driving resistance). Results showed that the difference of the adaptability between user and wheelchair, which does not appear in a dynamic index, can be evaluated using sAMY. Additionally, moderate correlation was found between muscle energy consumption of the upper limbs and sAMY.