Motion adaptation on a wheelchair driving simulator

Abstract

The objective of the AccesSim project is to design a wheelchair simulator using Virtual Reality and a robotic platform to detect and illustrate accessibility issues in complex environments. In order to be efficient, the robotic platform must provide haptic and vestibular feedbacks to different profile of end users: urbanists to wheelchair users. It must be modular and adaptable to each one of them. In this paper we focus our robotic platform capable of adapting its configuration and feedback rendering based on the user. The design of the platform is described. The capacity of the platform to reproduce the motion of a wheelchair in a specific study case is tested experimentally. Finally the results introduce the possibility of adapting the dynamic feedback rendering based on a specific user and environmental situations.

Design of portable and accessible platform in charge of wheelchair feedback immersion

“…AccesSim is a VR system composed of a dynamic force--feedback platform coupled with a 3D software simulation. This platform [2] integrates two interaction devices: active rollers and a four--jack motion system. By means of the rollers the platform recreates the behaviour of a powered or manual wheelchair by directly measuring the motion of the wheelchair's active wheels.…”