Quantitative evaluation method of wheelchair seat comfort level

摘要

By measuring body pressure distribution data on a wheelchair seat and analyzing the pressure distribution and variation over a predetermined time, quantitative indices were devised for evaluating the stability of the user's seated posture as well as their evaluation method. Use of a wheelchair that does not match the user's body shape is unsatisfactory, but wheelchairs are currently selected empirically, based on the carer's experience and their intuitive judgment of what appears to be most comfortable. The authors have developed an index which is able to quantitatively express the degree of comfort experienced by a wheelchair user. By measuring body pressure distribution on the wheelchair seat, the user's subjective assessment and myoelectric potential, an evaluation index was calculated using body pressure distribution data. A comparison of the obtained index, subjective assessments, and electromyograms revealed the index to be accurate. Use of this index has made it possible for a carer, even if inexperienced, to determine precisely whether a particular wheelchair is suited to the user.