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To prevent individuals with thermoregulatory dysfunction from becoming hyperthermic in a hot environment, we propose a back-cooling (BC) system with Peltier devices mounted on a wheelchair backrest. Here, we characterize the changes in thermoregulatory responses induced by BC in order to confirm the feasibility of the proposed system. A cooling experiment in a climate chamber at 33°C with six able-bodied subjects demonstrated that the amount of sweating and systolic blood pressure were significantly lower in the BC trials than in the no-cooling trials, providing preliminary evidence that BC can partially replace thermoregulatory responses and reduce the heat burden. © 2016 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve direction stability of a power wheelchair on a cross-sloped surface, a downhill turning prevention control (DTPC) has been developed by some researchers and wheelchair suppliers. The DTPC-induced effect on wheelchair maneuver, however, has not been well clarified. In this study, we quantitatively assessed DTPC-induced changes in joystick control strategies during a driving task on a cross-sloped test course. Among several evaluation measures calculated from the joystick inputs during the test trials, the x-axis joystick displacement amount was found to be significantly decreased by the DTPC. This result suggests that the DTPC can save wheelchair users from the burden of compensation control on cross-sloped surfaces. © 2012 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]