Use of "Smart Wheelchairs" to Provide Independent Mobility to Visual and Mobility Impairments
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Purpose
The goal of this project is to evaluate the Smart Wheelchair Component System (SWCS) for power wheelchairs and the Smart Power Assistance Module (SPAM) for manual wheelchairs in realistics indoors environments with target users performing realistic tasks. We will combine group trials involving individuals who have a visual impairment (but do not have a mobility impairment)with several single-case studio involving individuals who have a visual and mobility impairment. Our long-term objective is to provide independent mobility to veterans with mobility and sensory impairments.
| Condition | Intervention |
|---|---|
|
Wheelchair Users Blindness |
Device: Smart Wheelchair Component System (SWCS) Device: Smart Power Assistance Module (SPAM) |
| Study Type: | Interventional |
| Study Design: | Allocation: Non-Randomized Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment Masking: Open Label Primary Purpose: Prevention |
| Official Title: | Use of "Smart Wheelchairs" to Provide Independent Mobility to Visual and Mobility Impairments |
- Participants in lab trials will complete a serious of navigation tasks. We will record time to complete the task, number of collisions, and average obstacles clearance.
- Participants in field trials will use a smart wheelchair in their home for 4 weeks. We will record total distance traveled per week.
- During lab trials and feild trials we will record subjective measures of task difficulty and device satisfaction.
- During feild trials we will record subjective measures satisfaction.
| Estimated Enrollment: | 20 |
| Study Start Date: | June 2006 |
| Study Completion Date: | May 2008 |
There are currently very few mobility options for veterans who have a mobility impairment and visual impairment, and this population will grow as the number of older veterans increases. The goal of this project is to evalutate the Smart Wheelchair Component System (SWCS) for power wheelchairs and the Smart Power Assistance Module (SPAM) for manual wheelchairs in realistic indoor environments with target users performing realistics tasks. We will combine group trials involving individuals who have a visual impairment (and may or may not have a mobility impairment) with several single-case studies involving individuals who have a visual and mobility impairment.
The key questionss that will be addresses by the proposed research are:
Can smart wheelchair technology improve performance on realistic navigation tasks for individuals with visual and mobility impairments?
Will smart wheelchair technology increase the amount of independent travel by individuals with visual and mobility impairments?
Will using a smart wheelchair for an extended period of time diminish a person's ability to operate a "traditional" wheeled mobility aid?
Eligibility| Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years and older |
| Genders Eligible for Study: | Both |
| Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | Yes |
Inclusion Criteria:
- All participants will be completely blind
- Participants will be able to operate a power wheelchair with joystick control
- Participants will be able to puch a manual wheelchair a minimum of 300 yards
Exclusion Criteria:
- Mobility impairment
Contacts and Locations| United States, Georgia | |
| VAMC, Decatur | |
| Decatur, Georgia, United States, 30033 | |
| United States, Pennsylvania | |
| VAMC, Pittsburgh | |
| Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15206 | |
| Principal Investigator: | Richard Simpson, PhD | Human Engineering Research Laboratories |
More Information
Additional Information:
No publications provided
| ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT00333762 History of Changes |
| Other Study ID Numbers: | B4065X |
| Study First Received: | June 2, 2006 |
| Last Updated: | February 3, 2009 |
| Health Authority: | United States: Federal Government |
Keywords provided by Department of Veterans Affairs:
|
wheelchairs blindness aging |
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
|
Blindness Vision Disorders Sensation Disorders Neurologic Manifestations |
Nervous System Diseases Eye Diseases Signs and Symptoms |
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on June 17, 2013