Evaluation of Power Wheelchair Dynamic Suspensions for Tip Prevention in Non-ADA Compliant Surfaces.
Jorge L Candiotti, Sivashankar Sivakanthan, Josh Kanode and 4 others
PMID 37329969WHAT IT FOUND
A new power wheelchair with electronic suspension kept users significantly more stable and completed more pothole trials than their own wheelchairs or a pneumatic version.
Users rated it highly for usability, though the study involved only 10 participants in a controlled lab.
Key findings
01The electronic suspension wheelchair completed significantly more pothole trials without assistance than the pneumatic version or the participants' own wheelchairs.
02The electronic suspension wheelchair demonstrated significantly lower seat angle peaks (better stability) than the participants' own wheelchairs and the pneumatic version across all tasks.
03Participants rated the electronic suspension wheelchair significantly higher on usability (SUS score 91.3) compared to the pneumatic version (66.5), though it was not statistically different from their own wheelchairs.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study included only 10 participants, limiting statistical power and generalizability. Testing was conducted in a controlled laboratory setting, which excludes real-world variables like weather, tire wear, and unexpected obstacles. Participants were aware they were being observed, which may have altered their driving behavior (Hawthorne effect). Usability and satisfaction scores showed a ceiling effect, making it difficult to detect significant differences between the new EHAS chair and the participants' existing, familiar wheelchairs.
Declared interests
Funding was non-U.S. government support; no commercial conflicts of interest are reported in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the new electronic suspension is superior to current commercial wheelchairs in daily life. While it performed better in the lab, participants did not rate it significantly higher in satisfaction or usability than their own chairs, and the study was too small and controlled to prove real-world effectiveness.