| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
HASHIMOTO Nobuya Sapporo Medical University, School of Health Sciences, Associate Professor, 保健医療学部, 助教授 (50164794)
TAKAHASHI Hiroto Hokkaido Electric Power Co., Research Institute, Senior Researcher, 総合研究所, 主査研究員
YOSHINARI Satoshi Hokkaido Industrial Research Institute, Session Chief, 科長
|
|---|
| Research Abstract |
Not only handicapped people but also elderly people living in Hokkaido, the northernmost island in Japan, desire to participate in outdoor activities during a winter season that is characterized by heavy snow and low temperatures. Most of these people venture outdoors to go shopping or to hospitals, even under severe conditions. A wheelchair is generally used for outdoor transport. There are, however, many problems with using a wheelchair during the winter ; roads covered with snow and ice are very slippery, casters are easily burid in snow, and handrims are too cold to handle. Therefore, an appropriate wheelchair for outdoor use during the winter season is greatly desired. We are developing an electric wheelchair with four drived wheels to be effective for outdoor use during the winter. In this work, three types of electric wheelchairs with front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive and four wheels were tested for drivability on icy roads, snow-covered roads, and indoor floors. In addition, computational methods were proposed to simulate the drivability of electric wheelchairs under snowy conditions.
|
