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to my Home page since June 1st, 1998.

 

Research Projects

  Development of Head-Controlled Electric Powered Wheelchair

 

Development of a Simulator of Powered Wheelchair 

wpe2.jpg (97694 ???) Biomechanical Evaluation of Tasks to Transfer the Patients

 

     Development of Devices to Prevent to Leave Wheelchair Brakes Unapplication

 

     Development of Brakes Using Pneumatic Mechanisms

 

I studied for one year from September, 1996 at Centre for Studies in Aging, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, University of Toronto.

Please go and see HomePage of Center for Studies in Aging to refer to their research.

 

Personal

Member, The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers

Member, The Society of Biomechanisms Japan

Member, Rehabilitation Engineering Society of Japan

Member, Japan Ergonomics Society

Member, RESNA

Member, IEEE

 

 

Publications

 

 

 

Recent Presentations Takenobu Inoue, Hideyuki Hirose, Kouji Takahashi, Susumu Okamoto, Tuyoshi Nakayama, You Iwasaki, Reiko Iju, Hiroyuki Seki, Hirotatsu Takahashi, Hiromichi Hirano: A case of severely disabled cerebral palsy client to adapt a suitable powered wheelchair at seating clinic in the National Rehabilitation Center, Proceedings of the 14th RESJA   Conference,613-616,1999 (in Japanese)

 

 

Project SummariesDevelopment of Head-Controlled Electric Powered Wheelchair

Figure of the head controlled powered wheelchairPicture of using the head controlled powered wheelchair

 

An electric powered wheelchair is very important for people with severe physical disability as their way of moving. In general, an electric powered wheelchair that a person operates the joystick by his upper limb is popular. However, some people cannot use it due to their severe impairment. Especially for the people having severe cerebral palsy, to set up the operating system is very difficult because of their physical limitation of their limbs.

However, if we consider the limitation of their mobility and develop the easier operating system, they can get a chance to move by themselves. A head-controlled powered wheelchair detects the head position and the posture by magnetic sensor and people can operate a powered wheelchair with the support of this data.

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Development of a Simulator of Powered Wheelchair

Picture of the computer graphics of the simulatorPicture of the simulator of Powered wheelchair

By using an electric powered wheelchair, it is easy to make a good living for disabled people. However, operating an electric powered wheelchair is sometimes very hard for people with severe disability. The simulator of powered wheelchair, using the latest VR technology, gives simular experience of operating the powered wheelchair to the people. Now, we are trying to do effective and safe pre-evaluation for driving a powered wheelchair by combining various input system.

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Biomechanical Evaluation of Tasks to Transfer the Patients

wpe3.jpg (97694 ???)

 

The transfer from a bed to a wheelchair has very important role for the severly disabled people as the first step for mobility. However, the tranfer tasks of the patient impose a burden on care givers and it causes a low back pain. It is said that using transferring devices is effective to reduce the load of care givers. But in real care giving situation, the transferring devices are not used. So, we evaluate the load of tasks to transfer the patients with each meathod by using the moment charged on the low back as a characteristic.

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Development of Devices to Prevent to Leave Wheelchair Brakes UnapplicationPicture of the coercive brake system using a lever 

It is not a few that the number of elderly disabled who use the wheelchair as their way of moving. However, elderly disabled have very high risk of accidents because of their physical disfunction and lack of concentration.  The falling accident during the transfer is popular for the elderly disabled in hospitals. One of the main causes of falling is the failure of wheelchair brakes operation.  If elderly disabled people suffer a bone fracture, it will make their daily life very difficult.

To prevent the accidents, we developed 3 devices to prevent leaving wheelchair brakes unapplication as follows.

1.Warning system of leaving wheelchair brakes unapplication
  
Giving a warning by voice.

2.Coercive brake system using a lever (Picture)
 
A brake is positioned in the front of a user like a crossing gate, so the user cannot stand
  up without braking.

3.Automatic braking system using a seat
    
When a user stand up, the seat is lifted by a spring putted under the seat. With this lifting
     motion, the brakes are automatically applied.

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Development of Brakes Using Pneumatic MechanismsWhen we developed the devices to prevent leaving wheelchair brakes unapplication, we realized the necessity of the wheelchair brakes that work with a little handling force. Now, we are trying to develop the wheelchair brakes applying pneumatic motor.

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Back to the Department of Rehabilitation Equipment

 

 

Special thanks to Nanae ISHIHARA