International Training and Research on Assistive Technologies for India and other Low-Income Countries (HyPoV Grant)

Principal Investigator: Rory A. Cooper, PhD

Co-Investigator: Jonathan L. Pearlman, PhD

2006-2009

The goal of this work was to demonstrate and evaluate a prototype of a low-cost powered mobility device (LC-PMD) for individuals who use manual wheelchairs (MWC) as their primary source of mobility. We recruited wheelchair users (n=25) at the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre in New Delhi to participate in an IRB-approved research protocol. The distance each subject traveled in their own MWC during a 3-4 hour period during typical daily activities was tracked with a non-invasive datalogging system. After this initial period, the subject was timed while traveling through a pre-defined obstacle course with indoor and outdoor tasks and the number of times they needed assistance were recorded. After the course was completed, the subject rated the difficulty of each task. This exact protocol was performed on a second day with the LC-PMD and results from each device were compared. Subjects traveled significantly further when riding the LC-PMD compared to their own MWC (651 vs. 193 meters per hour). Individuals with tetraplegia needed significantly less assistance and reported that it was significantly easier when traveling through the obstacle course with the LC-PMD compared to their MWCs. Individuals with paraplegia reported that the outdoor portion of the obstacle course was significantly easier with the LC-PMD, but no difference with the indoor portion of the course. These quantitative results, as well as the positive responses from subjects and manufacturers about the chair indicate that it has strong potential to provide independent mobility for a low-cost in the rough terrain of developing countries.

Projects:

Expert Assessment of the Barriers to Powered Wheelchair Mobility in India (India Chair Project)

Principal Investigator/s: Rory A. Cooper, PhD

Co-Investigator/s: Jonathan L. Pearlman, PhD; Alexandra N. Jefferds, BS

2006

Collecting and interpreting customer needs using traditional product development tools can be difficult or impossible when there is a large geographic, cultural, or social gap between the customer and product designer. As part of a project to design a low-cost powered mobility device (LC-PMD) for Indians with disabilities, we piloted a new approach to gather and interpret customer needs. First, we distributed cameras to manual wheelchair users at the Indian Spinal Injury Center in New Delhi, India, and asked subjects take photos and write descriptions of accessibility barriers in and around their homes. The film was then processed, de-identified, and integrated into an internet-based questionnaire. Individuals with expertise in wheelchair use and design, and home modifications were recruited to participate in the questionnaire where they identified and ranked the accessibility barriers in each of 50 images which were randomly selected from full database. Thirty cameras were received, yielding approximately 500 photos which were integrated into the questionnaire. A total of 72 subjects from 8 countries participated in the questionnaire. Using cluster analysis, we developed unique groupings for accessibility barriers based on their severity and prevalence. These groupings provided valuable and relevant information to develop and prioritize the design specifications of the LC-PMD. Using this information, modifications to the LC-PMD design were made; work on further prototypes is ongoing.

Evaluation of the Environmental Constraints of Rural and Urban India for Wheeled Mobility

Principal Investigator/s: Jonathan L. Pearlman, PhD

Co-Investigator/s: Rory A. Cooper, PhD; Alexandra N. Jefferds, BS

Timeframe: 2006 - 2007

It is commonly assumed that wheelchair users in developing countries such as India experience barriers to mobility that are more severe and/or more frequent than those experienced by wheelchair users in developed countries. However, there is little data about the specifics of these assumed obstacles—their nature, frequency, and severity. It is difficult to design a wheelchair appropriate for unknown conditions, and so the designers of the Hybrid Power Operated Vehicle (HyPoV) assumed the task of investigating accessibility in India. They intended to use the collected data to improve the design of their mobility device. It was also hoped that the method of data collection (an online questionnaire) could serve as a model for other internet-based participatory design efforts.

Field evidence for the questionnaire came in the form of digitized, de-identified photographs that approximately 30 Indian wheelchair users took of their homes and communities. Expert reviewers (clinicians, home modification experts, engineers, wheelchair users, etc.) were presented with a selection of photos and asked to identify any barriers they saw. They were also asked to provide suggestions about how to improve the environment and the design of a power wheelchair for that environment. The structure of the questionnaire allowed the researchers to view survey responses in realtime from a secure web page. Expert reviewers identified surface stability as the most prevalent issue (in > 25% of photos) and steps as the most severe obstacle. A large percentage of reviewers dropped out midway through the questionnaire, and comments from them suggest that photos were frequently difficult to analyze. Future research will attempt to provide reviewers with better participatory design options and more relevant photos.