Title: A Report of Wheelchairs from The SIG of Wheelchairs - Information About Manual Wheelchairs -
Author: Etsumi Okigawa,( Kanagawa Rehabilitation Center)
Proceedings of 12^th Japanese Conference of Advancement of Rehabilitation Technology, Vol.12, pp.339
Keywords:
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed:
Etsumi Okigawa ( Kanagawa Rehabilitation Center)
TEL:0462-49-2590


Abstract:
In the Rehabilitation Engineering Society of Japan, RESJA, those who are interested in a certain field meet together and organize a specialized group called SIG, Special Interest Group. In this report, the information of the manual wheelchairs from the SIG of wheelchairs is introduced. The author make a discussion about made-to-order wheelchairs. He indicates that made-to-order wheelchairs require high level abilities of evaluating the users capacities and of designing wheelchairs to the persons arranging them. And they also require high level techniques of design and manufacturing to companies producing wheelchairs. The problems of made-to-order wheelchairs are mentioned, such that they need a long time to produce and have little flexibility to the changes of users' bodies and they are inefficient in manufacturing because of various kinds and small productions. And he suggests that modular type wheelchairs should be installed in order to solve the problems.