Ergonomic Redesign of Elliptical Trainer to Promote Greater Safety, Comfort and Usability Movement And Neurosciences Center Yu Shu, PhD,1 Thad W. Buster, BS,1 Adam P. Taylor, BS,1 Scott Keenan, MA,2 Carl A. Nelson, PhD,3 Judith M. Burnfield, PhD, PT1 1Institute for Rehabilitation Science and Engineering, Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, 2Creighton University, 3University of Nebraska-Lincoln Introduction Methods Methods (cont.) Results (cont.) Regaining or retaining walking ability and physical fitness are central goals for individuals living with physical disabilities. Yet, many face barriers to maintaining physically active lifestyles due to lack of resources available in communities and homes. Specialized equipment and services are often limited to select rehabilitation settings due to cost and requirements for hands-on clinician assistance. To address the need for an inexpensive, accessible, and task specific [1] tool for promoting walking and fitness, our team redesigned an elliptical trainer into an Intelligently Controlled Assistive Rehabilitation Elliptical (ICARE). ICARE incorporated several low cost modifications aimed at improving comfort, safety, usability and likelihood of achieving a beneficial workout for people with disabilities while not hindering usage by those without disabilities. Ergonomic Assessments Two sessions separated by at least 24 hours. During first session, participants exercised on device with and without modifications. After second exercise session, participants rated modifications’ impact. Questionnaire 10cm Visual Analog Scales (VAS) rated perceived: Safety Comfort Workout Usability Separate questionnaire determined if modifications improved or hindered ability to use device With Disabilities Without Disabilities Does the modification IMPROVE your ability to use the machine? Yes No Not Needed Two-step staircase, middle handle, & two side rails facilitated stability & accessibility Ramp improved accessibility & safety Bench provided location for sitting and eliminated need to dismount between exercises Straps and shells secured feet to pedals and prevented sliding or rolling on footplates Intelligently controlled motor provided customized assistance to move pedals One-handed heart rate monitor allowed single-hand operation Does the modification HURT your ability to use the machine? Figure 2: 10 cm Visual Analog Scale rating Yes No Not Needed 0 2 4 6 8 10 8 6 4 2 0 Statistical Analysis Separate 2x2 ANOVAs with repeated measures identified significant differences in VAS scores between unmodified and ICARE trainer in individuals with and without disabilities. Frequency counts described extent to which modifications improved or hindered device usage. Modifications: A – Steps; B – Bench; C - Foot Straps; D - Side Rails; E - Middle Handle; F - One-Handed Heart Rate Monitor; G - Motor Assist Figure 4: Impact of modifications on ability of individuals with and without disabilities to use device (frequency count) Purpose Conclusions To investigate the impact of the ergonomically redesigned ICARE on perceptions of safety, accessibility, comfort and usability for people with and without disabilities. Lack of accessible and usable equipment prevents many with disabilities from pursuing a more physically active lifestyle. In the current study, we designed the ICARE to help reduce barriers that individuals with physical disabilities experience when trying to elliptical train. Our findings suggest that inexpensive modifications may enable individuals with disabilities to more easily and safely use a device aiming at improving gait and physical fitness without hindering the “traditional” user. Results Participants Modifications substantially improved perceptions of safety, comfort, workout and usability for those with disabilities. Modifications impacted those without disabilities minimally. Age (year) Height (m) Weight (kg) Diagnoses Without Disabilities (n=10) 47 (20) 1.75 (0.1) 73 (14) N/A With Disabilities 56 (16) 84 Stroke (n=1), diabetes (n=2), multiple sclerosis (n=2), traumatic brain injury (n=1), amputation (n=2), & arthritis (n=2) Reference Burnfield, J., Shu, Y., Buster, T., & Taylor, A., Similarity of Joint Kinematics and Muscle Demands Between Elliptical Training and Walking: Implications for Practice, Physical Therapy. 2010, Vol 90, Num 2, 289-305 Acknowledgement This work was supported in part by a grant from the Department of Education, NIDRR grant number H133G070209. Figure 3: Pre & Post modification VAS rating (cm) results (*: significant interaction, P<0.05) Figure 1: Participant using ICARE