1. Propulsiometer Instrumented Wheelchair Wheel
Prepared by:
Seri Mustaza (BME)
Siti Nor Wahida Fauzi (BME)
Ahmad Shahir Ismail (EECE)
Hafizul Anwar Raduan (CompE)

2. Background Repetitive movement of arm can cause stress injuries.
Provide strategies to reduce the likelihood of developing injuries.
Measured forces and moments on hand

3. Project Description Battery Viasat MiniDAT™ Sensor DC/DC Converter
Load Cell

4. Design Goals Replace MiniDAT™ Change current sensor
Reduce size of overall design
Minidat - enable wireless and networked remote DAQ
- comes equipped with a National Instruments DAQCard, a 486-compatible processor, and a PCMCIA COMMCard.
- can have up to sixteen 16 bit analog inputs; up to two 12 bit analog outputs; up to 24 bits of digital I/O; and up to 250 Ksps sample rate.
- uses a lot of power

5. Replace MiniDAT™ MiniDAT™ Enable wireless and remote network DAQ
Equipped with National Instrument DAQ Card, 486 compatible processor, & PCMCIA Card Type II
Up to 16bit analog inputs, two 12bit analog outputs, 24 bit digital I/O, up to 250Ksaps sample rate
In order to replace minidat, our group have studied the characteristics and were able to understand its technology. Since Viasat Inc. has discontinue producing minidat, our team decided to replace it with a system that is similar to or maybe better than the ones that we had.
Wifi card – minidat contains a pcmcia card type II that acts similar to a modem. Combining with a wireless transmitter would enable to transmit data wirelessly. Similar to this concept, a wifi card can transmit data wirelessly within wifi hotspot.
AD6635 – The minidat uses 7 channels input and output including ground with 12-bit parallel output port. The AD6635 has 8 channels (1 channel free for future use) and has 16-bit parallel output port. This type of chip can be use in TigerSHARC processor for data acquisition.
ADS A 8-Channel, 12-Bit parallel output port, using Low Power, suitable for isolated or remote data acquisition. This type of chip can be use with Texas Instrument MSP430 which enables system designers to simultaneously interface to analog signals, sensors and digital components while maintaining its low power.

6. Replace MiniDAT™ Technical approach: WiFi Card
AD6635 Analog Devices’ VersaCOMM®
Texas Instrument ADS7828
In order to replace minidat, our group have studied the characteristics and were able to understand its technology. Since Viasat Inc. has discontinue producing minidat, our team decided to replace it with a system that is similar to or maybe better than the ones that we had.
Wifi card – minidat contains a pcmcia card type II that acts similar to a modem. Combining with a wireless transmitter would enable to transmit data wirelessly. Similar to this concept, a wifi card can transmit data wirelessly within wifi hotspot.
AD6635 – The minidat uses 7 channels input and output including ground with 12-bit parallel output port. The AD6635 has 8 channels (1 channel free for future use) and has 16-bit parallel output port. This type of chip can be use in TigerSHARC processor for data acquisition.
ADS A 8-Channel, 12-Bit parallel output port, using Low Power, suitable for isolated or remote data acquisition. This type of chip can be use with Texas Instrument MSP430 which enables system designers to simultaneously interface to analog signals, sensors and digital components while maintaining its low power.

7. Change Sensor Current Sensor Future Sensor
Have to determine wheel angle
Gives true wheel angle (equipped)
Uses LED to capture movements
Doesn’t give absolute angle (gravity)
Bulky
Smaller in size
The wheel angle is taken into calculation to produce the right signal.

8. Reduce size of overall design

9. Injury analysis
High occurrence of upper limb injuries occur among wheelchair users
Incidence of Carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis is greater than 50% for wheelchair users
Wheelchair users reply on upper limbs for mobility. High occurrence of upper limb injuries occur among wheelchair users. One study has shown that about 64% out of 239 wheelchair users experience upper limb pain. Other study show that 59% occurrence. These result shows that more that 50% wheelchair users experience some form of upper limb pain.
During wheelchair propulsion users must exert large forces to propel the chair forward. Study has shown that incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis is greater than 50% for people who regularly use manual wheelchair compare to only 3% for general population.
Wheelchair propulsion biomechanics research has grown out of the need to better understand the demands on the wheelchair user during propulsion and to find methods to optimize wheelchair locomotion. Research efforts are being made to determine the etiology of secondary upper-limb injuries in the wheelchair user population

10. Why do we need this?
Find ways to reduce the force exerts to propel wheelchair
In disable community
User benefit physically
User achieve greater independence
Improve technology of wheelchair propulsion biomechanics
The social impact can be clearly seen among the disable community.
Wheelchair propulsion biomechanics is very important because it user can benefit physically and achieve greater independence.
Physically: pain and upper extremity injury can be reduced among manual wheelchair users
Independence: individual who uses manual wheelchair can be active and involve in recreational activities. Improved propulsion technique will reduced physical fatigue and effort required to move around Everyday obstacle such as ramps, uneven terrain, soft carpet.

11. Target user Clinical research :
Clinicians be able to assess their client’s propulsion technique
Improve wheelchair
In hospitals:
to teach wheelchair users the right way to operate
2 of our main target for marketing this product is for research lab for clinical use and hospitals.
Clinical research: in clinical research, this propulsiometer are used by the clinicians to assessed their client’s propulsion technique. By having this, we can analyze and identify which technique and stroke is the most proper to propel the rim. This can reduce and as well as to avoid upper limbs injury. This data also can be used to redesign the size, angle and placement of hand rim on the wheel’s of the wheelchair so that less force needs to apply in order to operate the wheelchair.
In hospitals: we were hoping that this propulsiometer can help physicians to teach wheelchair user the right way to operate the wheelchair. The patient itself will be able to see the data so that they’ll understand ultimately apply the technique. By having this propulsiometer hospitals/physician will know for whom wheelchair prescription is appropriate and also to justify equipment selection such as who needs manual wheelchair and who needs automatic or who will needs help in operating the wheelchair.

12. Timeline November & December 2005 January 2006 February 2006
Understand the current design
Research and discussion of possible solutions
Prepare and present NCIIA grant proposal
January 2006
Preliminary design of the prototype
Order the necessary parts
February 2006
Finish up the prototype
Meet with Dr. Mark and test the prototype
March 2006
Re-design the prototype if necessary
Improve overall appropriateness of wheelchair set-up and its function ergonomically
April 2006
Compile and present design poster and final results

13. In Conclusion
Propulsiometer is very important in order to better understand the demands of the wheelchair user. Propulsiometer is also important to find methods to optimize wheelchair locomotion.