Fig 1.
Two types of wheelchair we used in this experiment (sagittal plane).
The area and height between RX_ABS Lo (a) and RX-1 (b) are same. The pipes of back support of both wheelchairs are inclined to backward in the middle of the pipe.
Fig 2.
Two types of wheelchairs we used in this experiment (horizontal plane).
The area and height between RX_ABS Lo (a) and RX-1 (b) are same. RX_ABS Lo has pelvic support belt and thoracic support belt (a). RX-1 has thoracic support belt. The belt was stretched tight.
Fig 3.
Repositioning are defined as neck or trunk extension greater than 5°. Characteristic repositioning is shown in (a)→(b). For all individuals, there were fewer repositioning attempts with RX_RBS Lo than with RX-1 (c).
Table 1.
Operational definitions and relevance.
Fig 4.
Cervical angle change in a representative subject.
Time-dependent changes in cervical angle are shown. Time is represented on the horizontal axis. Six trapezia divided into 5-minute period were created to calculate the area under the curve (AUC). AUC values for RX_ABS Lo were larger than those for RX-1. These findings indicate a more erect neck alignment with RX_ABS Lo than with RX-1.
Fig 5.
Representative sitting postures.
The two wheelchair designs are identical, except for back supports. Neck alignment, measured by the cervical angle, was erect with RX_ABS Lo (a). Neck alignment was posed in a FHP with RX-1(b).
Fig 6.
Buttock and back support pressures in a representative case.
Buttock pressure with RX-ABS Lo was lower and back support pressure was higher in RX_ABS Lo than in RX-1. The back support contact area with RX_ABS Lo was greater with an increased lateral contact area (see arrow) when compared to RX-1. These findings indicate that the pelvic support belt provided adequate support for the pelvis and thorax.
Table 2.
Area under the curve values for postures and pressure distributions between RX_ABS Lo and RX-1.
Table 3.
Time-dependent changes in cervical and trunk angles according to the wheelchair design (RX-ABS Lo and RX-1).
Table 4.
Time-dependent changes in total buttock and back support pressures according to the wheelchair design (RX-ABS Lo and RX-1).
Table 5.
Time-dependent changes in sensor area and center of back support pressure locations according to the wheelchair design (RX-ABS Lo and RX-1).
Table 6.
Time-dependent changes in the center of buttock pressure location according to the wheelchair design (RX-ABS Lo and RX-1).
Table 7.
The time of repositioning (RX-ABS Lo and RX-1).