@article{ref1,
title="Assessment of wheelchair driving performance in a virtual reality-based simulator",
journal="Journal of spinal cord medicine",
year="2013",
author="Mahajan, Harshal P. and Dicianno, Brad E. and Cooper, Rory A. and Ding, Dan",
volume="36",
number="4",
pages="322-332",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: To develop a virtual reality (VR)-based simulator that can assist clinicians in performing standardized wheelchair driving assessments. DESIGN: A completely within-subjects repeated measures design. METHODS: Participants drove their wheelchairs along a virtual driving circuit modeled after the Power Mobility Road Test (PMRT) and in a hallway with decreasing width. The virtual simulator was displayed on computer screen and VR screens and participants interacted with it using a set of instrumented rollers and a wheelchair joystick. Driving performances of participants were estimated and compared using quantitative metrics from the simulator. Qualitative ratings from two experienced clinicians were used to estimate intra- and inter-rater reliability. RESULTS: Ten regular wheelchair users (seven men, three women; mean age ± SD, 39.5 ± 15.39 years) participated. The virtual PMRT scores from the two clinicians show high inter-rater reliability (78-90%) and high intra-rater reliability (71-90%) for all test conditions. More research is required to explore user preferences and effectiveness of the two control methods (rollers and mathematical model) and the display screens. CONCLUSIONS: The virtual driving simulator seems to be a promising tool for wheelchair driving assessment that clinicians can use to supplement their real-world evaluations.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1079-0268",
doi="10.1179/2045772313Y.0000000130",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/2045772313Y.0000000130"
}