Feedback on wheelchair performance

Within The Hague University of Applied Sciences, in collaboration with TU Delft, a technology has been developed that makes wheelchair movements easy to measure. The Wheelchair Mobility Performance Monitor was created by research group Assistive Technology for Mobility and Sports. This enables wheelchair performance in sports and rehabilitation to be measured. These outcomes can in turn be used to improve performance in wheelchair sports or optimize wheelchair driving in daily life. 

Wheelchair Sports

Wheelchair athletes can use information such as distance travelled, maximum speed, number of rotations, etc. to see how intense a training session or match was. But they can also use the method to evaluate how effectively they are training and whether the wheelchair is set up to deliver maximum sports performance. In cooperation with TeamNL, all top Dutch athletes are supported in optimizing their performance. For wheelchair racers, the best starting strategy is searched for, for wheelchair basketball players the desired intensity of training and for wheelchair tennis players the best configuration of the sports wheelchair.

Daily wheelchair use

The developed technology has been in use within sports for several years, but has recently been applied within rehabilitation. Then it is less about who can reach the highest speed, but rather focuses on how active the wheelchair user is. Just as able-bodied people use the pedometer to see if they have done enough in a day, wheelchair users can do the same with the WMPM. This gives them insight into their activity level throughout the day, but also allows them to determine what type of wheelchair or settings they function best with.

Research

The developed WMPM is thus employable for individual use within sports and daily life, but the research group also uses the method for research. Within sports, for example, the effect of impairment on performance is being studied in order to build scientific knowledge for fair rules within wheelchair sports. Within rehabilitation, measuring wheelchair use is an important source of information to build better guidelines for the rehabilitation process. How much activity is appropriate for a novice wheelchair user and when does increased injury risk arise?

Now and the future

The projects undertaken by the research group around the WMPM are mainly aimed at further development of the technology and its use for research. The development is mainly aimed at making the technology accessible to every wheelchair user, i.e. with minimal cost and maximum ease of use. Research is mainly aimed at increasing (scientific) knowledge around wheelchair use and performance. These projects are mainly demand-driven, i.e. based on questions from rehabilitation centers, patient and sports associations.

Education

The research and development projects around the WMPM are closely linked to education. Students participate in projects and through the lectorate's projects can also contribute in research at, for example, Basalt rehabilitation, as well as wheelchair athletes at the highest level. A unique opportunity that would not be possible without the cooperation of the lectorate and TeamNL.

More information

• Check out the Wheelpower website.
• A podcast episode of NPO Radio 1 Focus discussed measurements in Paralympic sport. Listen to the episode here (in Dutch).
• BNR also devoted an item to sensors that are changing wheelchair sports (in Dutch).

Team

From The Hague University of Applied Sciences, professor Monique Berger and researcher Rienk van der Slikke are working on this project.

Contact

Rienk van der Slikke ([email protected])