Wheelsim: Enhancing Immersive Rehabilitation for Manual Wheelchair Users

We are seeking master’s students in the fields of information technology, computer science, user interfaces, or equivalent, for a project in the field of robot-assisted rehabilitation.

This project can start at beginning of the next semester.

Recently, our team built a manual wheelchair propulsion simulator with virtual reality, combining visual immersion, tilt, and force feedback. This simulator aims to train wheelchair users to become more autonomous and adopt propulsion techniques that protect their shoulders.

This project aims to enhance visual immersion and design and implement the graphical user interface of this simulator so that it can be used by clinicians during training sessions with their patients. Specifically:

• Enhance visual immersion with an additional projector (wall, floor) to improve obstacle representation.
• Design and implement, in collaboration with clinicians, a user interface to operate the simulator.
• Validate the use of the simulator in clinical settings with clinicians and their patients.

The student will be co-supervised by:

David Labbé, Eng., PhD
Professor, École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS), Department of Software and IT Engineering
Researcher, Open Innovation Laboratory in Health Technologies (LIO),
Centre de recherche du CHUM
https://www.etsmtl.ca/dlabbe

Félix Chénier, PhD
Professor, UQAM, Département des sciences de l’activité physique
Researcher, Laboratoire de recherche en mobilité et sport adapté, Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire en réadaptation du Montréal métropolitain (CRIR)
https://felixchenier.uqam.ca