Evaluation of Haptic Guidance Strategies with Power Wheelchair Users using a Multi-actuator Vibrotactile Handle

Abstract :

Haptic feedback appears as an alternative way of providing navigation assistance to people with disabilities. Still, few studies evaluate its use in the context of power wheelchair navigation, especially with regular users. In this paper, we propose to use a multi-actuator haptic handle to provide guidance while driving a power wheelchair. We conduct two user studies, investigating the use of two directional rendering schemes for guiding users. The first study involved 16 participants without disabilities and evaluated the impact of handle location (driving vs. non-driving hand) on navigation performance. The second study involved 14 regular power wheelchair users and evaluated the handle and its associated directional rendering schemes in terms of signal recognition and navigation performance. Overall, handle location did not have a significant effect on navigation, suggesting different possible uses for the device. Participants without disabilities were able to follow the haptic guidance effectively using both rendering schemes. In the second study, users showed greater difficulties with the task, with some deviating significantly from the target paths. Still, these results support the integration of haptic guidance for enhancing assisted power wheelchair navigation, and highlight the need for further investigations and developments in collaboration with users and therapists.