Wheelchair Simulator

Engineering Good

January 11, 2023

Problem Statement: Teaching tool to allow wheelchair bound students to learn relevant skills to use their wheelchair independently

Wheelchair bound students often rely on their teachers and caregivers to operate their wheelchair so that they can move around the school. An over-reliance on their teachers and caregivers may not allow these students to completely acquire the mastery of wheelchair operation. This may lead to increasing difficulty moving around especially in public spaces like pavements and supermarkets in the future. Hence, a software is needed to teach these students the relevant skills to use their wheelchair independently.

Nature of Problems

Self-care

Wheelchairs

Activities of Daily Living (ADL)

Navigation and Mobility

User Groups

Youths

Physical Disability

Children

View Problem Statement

Solution

A first-person 3D simulator of an electric wheelchair software has been developed. It contains game play scenarios to enable the student to acquire some skills in the use of the electric wheelchair and develop situational awareness when operating it.

Some scenarios include:

- Road Use (Zebra Crossing, Traffic Lights, Uncontrolled Junction)

- Bus Ride (Waiting for the bus, Flagging the bus, Boarding the bus, Move into wheelchair bay)

- Supermarket (Entrance, Inside the Supermarket, Block by shoppers, Items beyond reach, Checkout)

The simulator can be integrated to a suitable input device (e.g. a wireless joystick) which can be attached to the player’s seat (in the case, an actual wheel chair). Users can navigate through the scenarios and master the skills to operate a wheelchair and apply them in real life scenarios.

Client controlling the first person simulator via a joystick on his wheelchair. Client is controlling the character's movement in a public library scenario to develop his situational awareness. — Client trying out the virtual wheelchair simulator

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Engineering Good