Auxiliary Down-Slope Effects of Anti-Rollback Mechanisms in Manual Wheelchair Systems
Source abstract
Abstract
The aim of this study was to experimentally assess the effect of increased rolling resistance, generated by the Anti-Rollback System, on the muscular load of a manual wheelchair user during downhill movement. Three descent conditions were compared: without the module (NAR), with a flexible roller (EAR), and with a rigid roller (SAR). The experiment was conducted on a 6.3 m ramp inclined at 5°, involving eight adult male participants. Muscle effort was evaluated using three indicators: normalized cumulative muscle load per second (CML/s), normalized muscle activity (EMGnorm), and the peak-to-mean ratio of the EMG signal (PMR). Statistical analysis revealed significant differences between configurations (p < 0.05). Use of the module significantly reduced muscular load compared with the reference condition: CML/s decreased by 29.41% in both EAR and SAR, while EMGnorm was reduced by 44.44% in EAR and 50.00% in SAR. PMR reached its lowest value in EAR (4.78), suggesting smoother muscle activation and lower local peak tension. The results indicate that the resistive torque generated by the frictional coupling between the wheelchair tire and the anti-rollback roller, although disadvantageous during propulsion, contributes to improved control and stability during downhill descent, highlighting the system’s dual functional potential.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Spinal Cord Injury Research · Injury Epidemiology and Prevention · Gaze Tracking and Assistive Technology
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Institute of Machine Design, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, Piotrowo 3, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
Institute of Architecture and Physical Planning, Faculty of Architecture, Poznan University of Technology, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
Funding
PFRON · “Reverse Locking Module for Wheelchairs— Functional Prototype, Operational Testing, Popularization”
References (66)
Show source-provided references
1. Consequences of a Cross Slope on Wheelchair Handrim Biomechanics10.1016/j.apmr.2006.09.015 ↗
2. Assila, N., Rushton, P.W., Duprey, S., and Begon, M. (2024). Trunk and Glenohumeral Joint Adaptations to Manual Wheelchair Propulsion over a Cross-Slope: An Exploratory Study. Clin. Biomech., 111.10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2023.106167 ↗
3. Gagnon, D., Babineau, A.-C., Champagne, A., Desroches, G., and Aissaoui, R. (2015). Trunk and Shoulder Kinematic and Kinetic and Electromyographic Adaptations to Slope Increase during Motorized Treadmill Propulsion Among Manual Wheelchair Users with a Spinal Cord Injury. BioMed Res. Int., 2015.10.1155/2015/636319 ↗
4. Holloway, C.S., Symonds, A., Suzuki, T., Gall, A., Smitham, P., and Taylor, S. (2015, January 14–17). Linking Wheelchair Kinetics to Glenohumeral Joint Demand during Everyday Accessibility Activities. Proceedings of the 37th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), Copenhagen, Denmark.10.1109/EMBC.2015.7318896 ↗
5. Investigation of the Performance of Plugging Braking System as a Hill Descent Control (HDC) for Electric-Powered Wheelchair10.15282/ijame.20.4.2023.08.0843 ↗
6. A Motor Learning Approach to Training Wheelchair Propulsion Biomechanics for New Manual Wheelchair Users: A Pilot Study10.1080/10790268.2015.1120408 ↗
7. Effect of Power-Assistance on Upper Limb Biomechanical and Physiological Variables During a 6-Minute, Manual Wheelchair Propulsion Test: A Randomised, Cross-Over Study10.1080/09638288.2021.1973586 ↗
8. Rouvier, T., Louessard, A., Simonetti, E., Hybois, S., Bascou, J., Pontonnier, C., Pillet, H., and Sauret, C. (2022). Manual Wheelchair Biomechanics While Overcoming Various Environmental Barriers: A Systematic Review. PLoS ONE, 17.10.1371/journal.pone.0269657 ↗
9. Relationship between Linear Velocity and Tangential Push Force While Turning to Change the Direction of the Manual Wheelchair10.1515/bmt-2015-0173 ↗
10. A Comparison of Glenohumeral Joint Kinematics and Muscle Activation During Standard and Geared Manual Wheelchair Mobility10.1016/j.medengphy.2019.06.018 ↗
11. Effects of Trunk Functional Capacity on the Control of Angular Momentum During Manual Wheelchair Braking10.2174/1875399X-v15-e2208150 ↗
12. Seifert, S.J., Dahlstrom, R.J., Condon, J.P., and Hedin, D.S. (2013, January 3–7). Yaw Rate and Linear Velocity Stabilized Manual Wheelchair. Proceedings of the 2013 35th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), Osaka, Japan.10.1109/EMBC.2013.6609641 ↗
13. Manual Wheelchair Downhill Stability: An Analysis of Factors Affecting Tip Probability10.1186/s12984-018-0450-3 ↗
14. Warguła, Ł., and Marciniak, A. (2022). The Symmetry of the Muscle Tension Signal in the Upper Limbs When Propelling a Wheelchair and Innovative Control Systems for Propulsion System Gear Ratio or Propulsion Torque: A Pilot Study. Symmetry, 14.10.3390/sym14051002 ↗
15. Gabryelski, J., Kurczewski, P., Sydor, M., Szperling, A., Torzyński, D., and Zabłocki, M. (2021). Development of Transport for Disabled People on the Example of Wheelchair Propulsion with Cam-Thread Drive. Energies, 14.10.3390/en14238137 ↗
16. Wieczorek, B., Kukla, M., Warguła, Ł., Giedrowicz, M., and Rybarczyk, D. (2022). Evaluation of Anti-Rollback Systems in Manual Wheelchairs: Muscular Activity and Upper Limb Kinematics during Propulsion. Sci. Rep., 12.10.1038/s41598-022-21806-z ↗
17. Wieczorek, B., Kukla, M., Rybarczyk, D., and Warguła, Ł. (2020). Evaluation of the Biomechanical Parameters of Human-Wheelchair Systems During Ramp Climbing with the Use of a Manual Wheelchair with Anti-Rollback Devices. Appl. Sci., 10.10.3390/app10238757 ↗
18. Evaluation of Wheelchair Tire Rolling Resistance Using Dynamometer-Based Coast-Down Tests10.1682/JRRD.2008.10.0137 ↗
19. Evaluation of Rolling Resistance in Manual Wheelchair Wheels and Casters Using Drum-Based Testing10.1080/17483107.2020.1815088 ↗
20. Effects of User’s Actions on Rolling Resistance and Wheelchair Stability During Handrim Wheelchair Propulsion in the Field10.1016/j.medengphy.2012.05.001 ↗
21. Are Manual Wheelchair Rear Wheel Rolling Resistance and Friction (in)-Dependent of Load, Tire Pressure, and Camber Angle? An Evaluation Across Different Surfaces10.1080/17483107.2025.2501745 ↗
22. Rolling Resistance and Propulsion Efficiency of Manual and Power-Assisted Wheelchairs10.1016/j.medengphy.2015.08.012 ↗
23. Distribution of the Residual Tolerable Imbalance Between Correction Plans10.1080/15397734.2024.2360686 ↗
24. Trunk Muscle Activity During Wheelchair Ramp Ascent and the Influence of a Geared Wheel on the Demands of Postural Control10.1016/j.apmr.2009.10.016 ↗
25. Reliability of Electromyography During 2000 m Rowing Ergometry10.1007/s11332-022-00997-y ↗
26. Reliability of Lower Limb Electromyography during Overground Walking: A Comparison of Maximal- and Sub-Maximal Normalisation Techniques10.1016/j.jbiomech.2009.10.014 ↗
27. Tutorial. Surface EMG Detection, Conditioning and Pre-Processing: Best Practices10.1016/j.jelekin.2020.102440 ↗
28. Surface Electromyographic Signals Using Dry Electrodes10.1109/TIM.2011.2164279 ↗
29. Case-Based Reasoning Emulation of Persons for Wheelchair Navigation10.1016/j.artmed.2012.08.007 ↗
30. Analysis of a Lever-Driven Wheelchair Prototype and the Correlation between Static Push Force and Wheelchair Performance10.3182/20140824-6-ZA-1003.02052 ↗
31. Impact of Surface Finishing Technology on Slip Resistance of Oak Lacquer Wood Floorboards with Distinct Gloss Levels10.1080/17480272.2024.2309456 ↗
32. Anti-Slip Properties of Thermally Modified Hardwoods10.1007/s00107-024-02152-5 ↗
33. Complete Counterbalancing of Immediate Sequential Effects in a Latin Square Design10.1080/01621459.1958.10501456 ↗
34. Melchor-Uceda, I.A., Gutierrez-Gnecchi, J.A., Olivares-Rojas, J.C., Reyes-Archundia, E., and Gonzalez-Vazquez, A. (2023, January 18–20). Principal Component Regression and Partial Least Squares Regression Evaluation of Electrode Performance for Non-Invasive Multimodal Measurement of Arm Muscle Activity. Proceedings of the 2023 IEEE International Autumn Meeting on Power, Electronics and Computing (ROPEC), Ixtapa, Mexico.10.1109/ROPEC58757.2023.10409429 ↗
35. Sae-lim, W., Phukpattaranont, P., and Thongpull, K. (2018, January 18–21). Effect of Electrode Skin Impedance on Electromyography Signal Quality. Proceedings of the 2018 15th International Conference on Electrical Engineering/Electronics, Computer, Telecommunications and Information Technology (ECTI-CON), Chiang Rai, Thailand.10.1109/ECTICon.2018.8619967 ↗
36. Coordination Patterns of Shoulder Muscles During Level-Ground and Incline Wheelchair Propulsion10.1682/JRRD.2012.06.0109 ↗
37. The Effect of Manual Wheelchair Propulsion Speed on Users’ Shoulder Muscle Coordination Patterns in Time-Frequency and Principal Component Analysis10.1109/TNSRE.2018.2886826 ↗
38. Electromyographic Analysis of Upper Limb Muscles for Automatic Wheelchair Propulsion Control
39. Movement Patterns of Polish National Paralympic Team Wheelchair Fencers with Regard to Muscle Activity and Co-Activation Time10.2478/hukin-2022-0064 ↗
40. Comparison of Upper Extremity Muscle Activation Levels Between Isometric and Dynamic Maximum Voluntary Contraction Protocols10.7575/aiac.ijkss.v.7n.2p.21 ↗
41. Wang, X., Beltran Martinez, K., Golabchi, A., Tavakoli, M., and Rouhani, H. (2023). A Dynamic Procedure to Detect Maximum Voluntary Contractions in Low Back. Sensors, 23.10.3390/s23114999 ↗
42. Koch, M., Forsman, M., Enquist, H., Olsen, H.B., Søgaard, K., Sjøgaard, G., Østensvik, T., Nilsen, P., Andersen, L.L., and Jacobsen, M.D. (2024). Frequency of Breaks, Amount of Muscular Rest, and Sustained Muscle Activity Related to Neck Pain in a Pooled Dataset. PLoS ONE, 19.10.1371/journal.pone.0297859 ↗
43. Larraga-García, B., Lozano-Berrio, V., Gutiérrez, Á., Gil-Agudo, Á., and del-Ama, A.J. (2019). A Systematic Methodology to Analyze the Impact of Hand-Rim Wheelchair Propulsion on the Upper Limb. Sensors, 19.10.3390/s19214643 ↗
44. Fleury, A.d.T., Rade, D.A., and Kurka, P.R.G. (2017, January 5–10). The Influence of Inertial Forces on Manual Wheelchair Propulsion. Proceedings of the DINAME 2017, São Sebastião, Brazil.
45. Błaszczyszyn, M., Piechota, K., Borysiuk, Z., Kręcisz, K., and Zmarzły, D. (2025). Correlation Analysis of Upper Limb Muscle Activation in the Frequency Domain in Wheelchair Fencers. Front. Hum. Neurosci., 19.10.3389/fnhum.2025.1523358 ↗
46. Temporal Control of Muscle Synergies Is Linked with Alpha-Band Neural Drive10.1113/JP281232 ↗
47. Reliability of EMG Normalisation Methods for Upper-Limb Muscles10.1080/02640414.2013.796063 ↗
48. Effect of the Height of a Wheelchair on the Shoulder and Forearm Muscular Activation During Wheelchair Propulsion10.1589/jpts.24.51 ↗
49. Effect of Velocity on Shoulder Muscle Recruitment Patterns During Wheelchair Propulsion in Nondisabled Individuals: Pilot Study10.1682/JRRD.2011.03.0047 ↗
50. Pushrim Biomechanics and Injury Prevention in Spinal Cord Injury: Recommendations Based on CULP-SCI Investigations10.1682/JRRD.2004.08.0103 ↗
51. Effects of a closed-loop partial power assistance on manual wheelchair locomotion10.1016/j.ifacol.2018.11.615 ↗
52. Root Mean Square Value of the Electromyographic Signal in the Isometric Torque of the Quadriceps, Hamstrings and Brachial Biceps Muscles in Female Subjects
53. Estimation of Maximal Muscle Electromyographic Activity from the Relationship Between Muscle Activity and Voluntary Activation10.1152/japplphysiol.00557.2020 ↗
54. Relationship Between Effort Sense and Ventilatory Response to Intense Exercise Performed with Reduced Muscle Glycogen10.1007/s00421-011-2190-y ↗
55. Effects of Elbow Flexor Muscle Resistance Training on Strength, Endurance and Perceived Exertion
56. Comparison of Neck and Upper-Limb Muscle Activities between Able-Bodied and Paraplegic Individuals During Wheelchair Propulsion on the Ground10.1589/jpts.27.1473 ↗
57. Effect of Wheelchair Seat Height on Shoulder and Forearm Muscle Activities during Wheelchair Propulsion on a Ramp10.1589/jpts.24.495 ↗
58. Individual Muscle Contributions to Push and Recovery Subtasks During Wheelchair Propulsion10.1016/j.jbiomech.2011.02.073 ↗
59. Co-Contraction of the Pronator Teres and Extensor Carpi Radialis during Wrist Extension Movements in Humans10.1016/j.jelekin.2005.11.013 ↗
60. Hernández, N.A.C., Correa, C.O., Mercado Chaparro, M.D.C., Gallego, A.M.V., Moreno, J.L., and Velásquez, A.T. (2017, January 26–28). Measurement of the Strength of Upper Limbs in Cervical Injury Users to Design a Propulsion Wheelchair Mechanism. Proceedings of the VII Latin American Congress on Biomedical Engineering CLAIB 2016, Bucaramanga, Colombia.
61. Steering-by-Leaning Facilitates Intuitive Movement Control and Improved Efficiency in Manual Wheelchairs10.1186/s12984-023-01265-x ↗
62. Starting and Stopping Kinetics of a Rear Mounted Power Assist for Manual Wheelchairs10.1080/10400435.2017.1366373 ↗
63. Sy, A.C., Bugtai, N.T., Domingo, A.D., Liang, S.-Y.M.V., and Santos, M.L.R. (2015, January 9–12). Effects of Movement Velocity, Acceleration and Initial Degree of Muscle Flexion on Bicep EMG Signal Amplitude. Proceedings of the 2015 International Conference on Humanoid, Nanotechnology, Information Technology, Communication and Control, Environment and Management (HNICEM), Cebu City, Philippines.10.1109/HNICEM.2015.7393260 ↗
64. Hwang, S.H., Lee, H.Y., and Kim, Y.H. (2010, January 1–6). Upper Limb Dynamics during Manual Wheelchair Propulsion with Different Resistances. Proceedings of the 6th World Congress of Biomechanics (WCB 2010), Singapore.10.1007/978-3-642-14515-5_161 ↗
65. The Effects of Four Different Stroke Patterns on Manual Wheelchair Propulsion and Upper Limb Muscle Strain10.3109/17483107.2011.650781 ↗
66. Wood Chippers: Influence of Feed Channel Geometry on Possibility of Musculoskeletal System Overload