A study of comfortable resetting of leg motion for personal mobility vehicle

Abstract

In our daily life, there are barriers such as a step, stairs and etc. It is difficult to get over such barriers by commercially available powered wheelchairs. From this reason, many people are developing a new personal mobility vehicle (PMV) that can climb a step. However, the safety during step-up-motions is not considered enough. One of the ideas of improving the safety during a step-up-motion is a right interruption of the motion. In this study, we consider resetting motions when a PMV climbs a step. RT-Mover (Rough Terrain Mover) PType 2, which can move on paved road and get over rough terrain including steps, is employed for experiments. We discuss the resetting motion according to the following procedure: firstly, possible motions for resetting the leg motion are picked up. Secondly, contents in the experiment are discussed. Finally, experiments are conducted for evaluations. Through the above, the most comfortable resetting motion is selected.