A virtual reality-based platform for powered wheelchair training for individuals with neuromotor disabilities

Powered wheelchairs are essential to increase the mobility and independence of individuals with neuromotor disabilities and enable them to live more independently, but unfortunately powered wheelchair training for individuals with neuromotor disabilities has often been limited to their physical presence in a rehabilitation center for extended periods of time to ensure safe driving conditions which may not be possible for everyone due to logistic reasons, availability of these centers everywhere and the excessive cost for the national health system. With the advancements in virtual reality (VR) technology and its widespread availability, it now offers a feasible alternative to traditional training methods. VR technology will ensure that individuals can receive powered wheelchair training from the comfort of their homes in a familiar environment with the help of their caregiver which will cut the amount of time they need to spend at rehabilitation centers drastically. One of the standards used to measure the driving skills of individuals Is the powered mobility program (PMP) which consists of 34 tasks 20 of which are indoor tasks, these tasks are designed to test the proficiency level of individuals when it comes to driving a powered wheelchair. In this project, the focus was on the 20 indoor tasks that were recreated in a virtual environment, named Virtual Reality for Powered Mobility Program (VR-PMP) with the same challenges that wheelchair users face in real life. A preliminary testing phase was conducted with able-bodied participants and young adults with cerebral palsy to evaluate the usability of the system. Performance metrics were collected during the training and used to evaluate individuals' performance to track their progress. Our findings showed that powered wheelchairs are essential for individuals with disabilities to lead an independent life and VR offers more individuals access to new training methods.