Controllability of Manual and Powered Wheelchairs for Spinal Cord Injury Users

This study investigates wheelchair maneuvering control for persons with a spinal cord injury across two protocols, path control and terminal aiming. Thirty-one participants using either a manual or powered wheelchair, performed self-paced longitudinal movements (path control) as well as self-paced stopping actions (terminal aiming) across multiple trials. Results show performance differences across both protocols for manual and power wheelchair user groups. This study exemplifies the use of model-based data for clinical applications. Further research using this approach may help to identify individual control settings for optimal maneuvering performance.