Performance Assessment of Wheelchair Driving in a Virtual Environment Using Head Movements

The present work consists of the integration of a motion tracking device using an inertial sensor to control a motorized wheelchair with neck flexion movements and incorporating the device into a training environment to use the wheelchair in Virtual Reality. Training makes it possible to ensure a better performance when using this technology on a daily basis, avoiding accidents and any type of discomfort. The target audience is people with disabilities that require a motorized wheelchair, but are unable to use the traditional control present in this device (joystick), due to impairment of the upper limbs. The implementation of the software for the control module was made easy for users to operate and simple to integrate with additional devices, if necessary. From initial experiments with healthy people, it was possible to prove the relevance of the proposal and the necessity of future improvements for the project.