What are some of the biggest advances in today’s powered wheelchairs?

The three biggest breakthroughs in power chairs would have to be: the digital controls – going away from analog-powered amplified controls to digital-powered amplifiers. The second would be the concept of a power base, having a base in a separate seating system versus having one integrated device like a manual chair. And then the third would have to be the user interfaces; control interfaces, in other words, ways for individuals to be able to drive the chair. Back 20 years ago, we basically only had a few options – a joystick, switch control, sip-and-puff, and those were pretty much the different options. Today, we have many more options. And the beauty with that is that we can accommodate more individuals and provide them with independent mobility.

On the same lines, the seating functions have gotten much better and we see more options of accommodations with tilt, recline, elevation, leg rest elevation. Now we can really improve seating tolerance; 20 years ago we used to worry about whether a person could really use it long enough to go anywhere. With the better seating systems, we can really address the seating tolerance problem.

The controls allow people who have [minimal] physical capability … [to] independently drive wheelchairs and do it well. And the power bases also allow for much more durable and higher performance driving than ever before.

 

What are some of the cutting-edge systems for controlling powered wheelchairs?

More controls are using head tracking, eye tracking, and voice control; those have all shown a lot of potential. Also, better algorithms. Before, when you had analog controls, you couldn’t [use] complex algorithms. Now we have control algorithms […] to help reduce the impact of tremor, impact of fatigue; we can change the axis of the sensor of the joystick in order to accommodate for your movement. You can actually do things with very little movement … I think tongue touch control is becoming cutting edge now. I think it’s the combination of the algorithms and signal processing as well as the sensing hardware. Some people basically have a gyroscope on a ring around a wristwatch now.

 

Really? And so you just have to move the wristwatch and you can control the wheelchair?

You can actually use your phone to drive some chairs now. The touchpad on the phone can be like a joystick interface. I think that’s a real trend for the future: phones having apps for providing you with instructions, so you have user manuals on the phone, perhaps even smart coaching systems. [With a coaching system], for example, you can use a gyro to communicate with other sensors on the chair [to recognize] if you’re driving unsafely or are going to tip over. It can remind you or coach you to drive better. And you can even program the parameters of your chair to your personal driving characteristics through your smartphone as well.

 

So this technology ultimately makes wheelchairs more accessible to users?

Yes. I think that it will make it more accessible and understandable for the users’ inclinations and, in some ways, make it even more personable for the user. The VA is creating an app store with free apps for veterans and I could see a lot of these [technologies] becoming a part of the app store.

 

In that case, will one of the hurdles be developing universal software language for wheelchair navigation? Or does that already exist?

No, all the chairs use proprietary communication language, but I think user demand is going to drive manufacturers in that direction.

 

Since we’re talking about manufacturing, what’s the typical delay between developing a new technology at HERL and actually seeing it on the market?

It actually varies significantly. We’ve had devices that we’ve created that come to market in two years and some that have taken 10 years. Some of our current devices may even take longer when you’re talking about things like direct brain-interface control.

 

What else is involved in bringing these new technologies to market? Does affordability play a factor? How does your role in research affect the market?

In research and development, we have items that are going to reach veterans in the next three years and some that are way out beyond the cutting edge.

At the cutting edge, we hope to see things in three to five years to come to fruition, and then we have other things that are 10 years out or more. You want to have a balance, because you don’t want everything to be a high-risk investment. I think that is what makes us so functional and effective is to have this mix. I think what hampers adoptions is the sophistication of the manufacturers and at what rate that improves or evolves.