Usability Evaluation of a Novel Robotic Power Wheelchair for Indoor and Outdoor Navigation.

Abstract Objective To compare the Mobility Enhancement roBotic (MEBot) wheelchair's capabilities with commercial electric-powered wheelchairs (EPWs) by performing a systematic usability evaluation. Design Usability in effectiveness, efficacy, and satisfaction was evaluated using quantitative measures. A semistructured interview was employed to gather feedback about the users' interaction with MEBot. Setting Laboratory testing of EPW driving performance with 2 devices in a controlled setting simulating common EPW driving tasks. Participants A convenience sample of expert EPW users (N=12; 9 men, 3 women) with an average age of 54.7±10.9 years and 16.3± 8.1 years of EPW driving experience. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Powered mobility clinical driving assessment (PMCDA), Satisfaction Questionnaire, National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Task Load Index. Results Participants were able to perform significantly higher number of tasks (P =.004), with significantly higher scores in both the adequacy-efficacy (P =.005) and the safety (P =.005) domains of the PMCDA while using MEBot over curbs and cross-slopes. However, participants reported significantly higher mental demand (P =.005) while using MEBot to navigate curbs and cross-slopes due to MEBot's complexity to perform its mobility applications which increased user's cognitive demands. Conclusions Overall, this usability evaluation demonstrated that MEBot is a promising EPW device to use indoors and outdoors with architectural barriers such as curbs and cross-slopes. Current design limitations were highlighted with recommendations for further improvement. Graphical abstract Highlights • Power wheelchair (electric-powered wheelchair [EPW]) users are prone to tips and falls when driving outdoor terrains. • Mobility Enhancement roBotic (MEBot) was designed to improve navigational skills of EPW users in common terrains. • Active EPW users compared MEBot capabilities to their own EPWs in a driving course. • Results demonstrated MEBot's efficiency and efficacy to drive in all terrains. • EPW users recommended semiautonomous applications and an intuitive interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]