Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!bunker!wtm
From: spr@cs.brown.edu (Steve Reiss)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: BOTFOJ
Summary: wheelchair wheelie research
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Date: 27 Feb 90 05:06:46 GMT
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Reply-To: spr@cs.brown.edu (Steve Reiss)
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Index Number: 6957

I don't use a wheelchair or have any direct experience with this, but I
did remember reading a research article about it.  The article is
"A theory of wheelchair wheelie performance" by James J. Kauzlarich, PhD
and John G. Thacker, PhD (University of Virginia Rehabilitation
Engineering Center, P.O. Box 3368, University Station, Charlottesville,
Virginia 22903).  It appeared in Journal of Rehabilitation Research and
Development Volume 24, Number 2, pages 67-80, Spring 1987.
The JRRD is published by the Veterans Administration.

The article does not give the kind of practical advice that Steve
VanDevender gave.  It is quite technical.  The authors propose a mechanical
model for wheelchair wheelie performance, as the title suggests, and
suggest a problem mathematically similar to the wheelie balance problem
("balancing an inverted pendulum rod of 1.56 m length in the palm of the
hand is shown to be a problem mathematically similar to the wheelie balance
problem for a 90-kg wheelchair + user").  The article suggests that the
'chair user's ability to balance the rod might indicate he/she could learn
the wheelie manuevers.

This kind of research is done to improve wheelchair design and to help
determine what maneuvers a person can master with a given handrim force
capability and reaction time.  If you are really interested, it might be
worth writing to the authors and asking if certain wheelchairs, in theory,
should perform better and if they have gathered any data from 'chair users
to verify their model.

--Loretta Reiss