An Investigation of a Single Low-Cost Force Sensor to Identify Wheelchair Transfers and Transfer Technique

The primary purpose of this study was to develop and test a method of identifying when wheelchair transfers were performed during activities of daily living (ADLs) using a low cost, portable force sensor. The secondary purpose was to investigate if elements of transfer technique could be consistently identified using the same force data. The force data of 5 unique subjects was compared with video footage of the subjects performing wheelchair transfers and a set of identification criteria was made. Just the blinded wheelchair transfer data of 10 unique subjects was used to test the accuracy of the identification criteria, and then blinded force data of 10 more unique subjects performing transfers during various daily activities were examined to test this method. The results show that the identification criteria were 100% successful in identifying transfers, and they were more successful in identifying some transfer elements more than others.