A user-centric feedback device for powered wheelchairs comprising a wearable skin stretch device and a haptic joystick

Abstract

In the field of human rehabilitation, user satisfaction is a vital criterion in assessing the efficacy of assistive devices. A wheelchair is a popularly researched assistive device with more than 3.5 million users in the US [1]. Through subsequent innovations, the beginnings of the wheelchair have undergone tremendous transformations to result in today's powered-wheelchair. This technological advancement has been bolstered with studies that prove the powered-wheelchair's positive impact on user's mentality and on the social cost savings per user [2]. © 2017 IEEE.