Powered wheelchair simulator development: Implementing combined navigation-reaching tasks with a 3D hand motion controller

Background: powered wheelchair (pw) training involving combined navigation and reaching is often limited or unfeasible. virtual reality (vr) simulators offer a feasible alternative for rehabilitation training either at home or in a clinical setting. this study evaluated a low-cost magnetic-based hand motion controller as an interface for reaching tasks within the mcgill immersive wheelchair (miwe) simulator. methods: twelve experienced pw users performed three navigation-reaching tasks in the real world (rw) and in vr: working at a desk,using an elevator,and opening a door. the sense of presence in vr was assessed using the igroup presence questionnaire (ipq). we determined concordance of task performance in vr with that in the rw. a video task analysis was performed to analyse task behaviours. results: compared to previous miwe data,ipq scores were greater in the involvement domain (p < 0.05). task analysis showed most of navigation and reaching behaviours as having moderate to excellent (k > 0.4,cohen's kappa) agreement between the two environments,but greater (p < 0.05) risk of collisions and reaching errors in vr. vr performance demonstrated longer (p < 0.05) task times and more discreet movements for the elevator and desk tasks but not the door task. conclusions: task performance showed poorer kinematic performance in vr than rw but similar strategies. therefore,the reaching component represents a promising addition to the miwe training simulator,though some limitations must be addressed in future development. © 2016 tao and archambault.