Investigating personal thermal comfort for wheelchair users using a non-intrusive wheelchair-based sensing

Department of Civil Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

Individuals who use wheelchairs face unique and often overlooked challenges related to thermal stress in the built environments. While accessibility standards such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has improved physical access, there is a limited attention regarding wheelchair users' actual interaction and satisfaction in buildings. The main purpose of this research is to investigate personal thermal comfort of wheelchair users using a wheelchair-based sensing. We installed an integrated sensing platform (WheelCom) on a wheelchair using low-cost sensors interfaced with Raspberry Pi 4. The temperature sensors recorded seat, backrest, handrim, and ambient conditions, while the motion sensors captured propulsion dynamics to quantify mechanical work, which was then converted to estimate metabolic equivalent of task (MET). Our results showed clear captures on differences between ramp and non-ramp segments for MET estimation by WheelCom. Non-ramp propulsion for both participants produced mean and median MET values within the moderate-intensity range whereas ramp propulsion resulted in substantially higher metabolic demand. Additionally, elevated MET values during ramp segments were accompanied by increased seat and backrest temperatures, indicating a consistent relationship between metabolic intensity and localized thermal responses.