ViEW, a wheelchair simulator for driving analysis

This article presents ViEW (Virtual Electric Wheelchair), a powered wheelchair (PW) simulator designed in our laboratory with several aims: to provide a setting for safe driving training, to test control skills, to aid in parameterizing wheelchair settings and to test new features. Following an overview of current developments in the field of wheelchair simulator design, we describe the main features of our simulator and present a study which used ViEW as a driving learning tool in outdoor environments. This study was conducted in a rehabilitation center for children. The main objectives were to evaluate necessary skills, to identify difficulties involved in the driving process, and to study how the simulator contributes to the driving learning process in real life circumstances.