We are happy to share that Prof. Liz and grad student Mahshid had presented two exciting pieces of our team’s research on PURE, a novel, self-balancing, hands-free wheelchair design, at the American Society of Biomechanics (hashtag#ASB) conference in Madison, WI on August 5th, 2024.

(1) Poster Presentation:
Title: “Performance Evaluation of Hands-Free Lean-to-Steer Control of a Ballbot Wheelchair”
Summary: We tested PURE with both able-bodied and manual wheelchair users across various obstacle courses, comparing its hands-free capabilities with a gold standard joystick control method.
Authors: Seung Yun Song, Nadja Marin, Chenzhang Xiao, Mahshid Mansouri, Yu Chen, Joao Ramos, William Robert (Bob) Norris, Ph.D., MBA, and Elizabeth T. Hsiao-Wecksler

(2) Oral Talk:
Title: “Evaluation of a Shared Controller for Obstacle Avoidance of a Ballbot Wheelchair”
Summary: We developed a driver’s assistance system for PURE aimed at reducing rider’s cognitive load and enhancing their safety while navigating challenging obstacle courses.
Authors: Yu Chen, Mahshid Mansouri, Ze Wang, Chenzhang Xiao, Joao Ramos, Elizabeth T. Hsiao-Wecksler, and William Robert (Bob) Norris, Ph.D., MBA.

A special thanks to the hashtag#ASB community for creating such a vibrant and supportive environment for sharing hashtag#biomechanics research. The engaging discussions, insightful feedback, and networking opportunities have been truly invaluable!

For those interested in our previous work on PURE, feel free to check out these publications:
(1) Design and Control of a Ballbot Drivetrain with High Agility, Minimal Footprint, and High Payload
Link: https://lnkd.in/gPUFhX_S

(2) Driving a Ballbot Wheelchair with Hands-Free Torso Control
Link: https://lnkd.in/gcs4FJJc