Measurement and imaging of wheelchair movement for manual wheelchair users

The decrease in the amount of physical activity in daily life can cause lifestyle diseases and metabolic syndrome for wheelchair users. Some able-bodied persons use step counters during walking to detect the amount of activity during a day. However, it is difficult for wheelchair users to get the amount of the activity during a day spent in a wheelchair. The purpose of this study is to propose a system that can get the wheelchair activity of a wheelchair user. In this study, wheelchair movement was estimated by the rotation speed of both rear wheels, measured using rotary encoders. The number and the strength of the pushing action of wheelchair rear wheels were calculated by the acceleration forward and backward, measured using acceleration sensors.