Rugby Chair Monitor

Nicole Migotsky
Alex Brenner, Maisie Mahoney

Agenda

Background

Project Scope

Design Specifications

Existing Solutions

Group Organization

Background

Wheelchair Rugby: The Sport

Training Styles
Traditional

Modern

Continuous strength training

Workouts not specific to wheelchair

athletes

Want to quantify athlete performance

and training over time

Want to improve strength and

performance while minimizing risk of
injury

Schedule workouts so athletes hit peak

performance for hardest competitions

Very little performance quantification

Muscle, shoulder, and rotator cuff

injuries common

USA Wheelchair Rugby: Coach Steve Pate

Played under the traditional style

Injured rotator cuff

Wants to shift the USAWR training

dynamic

traditional modern approach

The Need
The Problem

The Need

Technology marketed towards

able-bodied athletes

Quantification device designed

specifically for wheelchair rugby

Current technology for wheelchair

athletes alter biomechanics

Accurately track performance

metrics

Performance tracking for ablebodied athletes may not transfer to

wheelchair athletes

Project Scope

Provide a device to
accurately track an athletes
stats and progress in order to
prevent overtraining,
overuse injuries, and prepare
him for competition.

Design Specifications

Design Specifications: Portable

Specific Metric
Compact
Lightweight
Center of Mass Alternation

Quantitative Value
.5 Liters
1.0 -1.5 % of total mass
Athlete experiences unnoticeable change

Design Specifications: Durable

Specific Metric
Sturdy
Water Resistant
Temperature Resistant

Quantitative Value
Will remain intact if wheelchair is impacted
with force up to 200N
2-3 barr
[-40, 55]

Design Specifications: Ease of Use

Specific Metric

Quantitative Value

Removeable

Can be removed and reattached by level

3.0 and above players

High Usability

Operated by individuals 18+; intuitive stepby-step instructions; approachable and

simple set-up

Minimal Calibration Time

Minimal Set-Up

10-15 minutes
Once calibration is done, < 5 minutes each
subsequent time

Design Specifications: Reliable

Specific Metric
Accurate: Incline Measurement
Consistent: Power Measurement
Sampling Rate

Quantitative Value
.5
5% (of max power)
> 8 Hz

Data Storage

Up to 2 Hrs of Data

Data Transmission

Connection 1.5m

Design Specifications: Sustainable Battery Life

Specific Metric
Power

Quantitative Value
No mains power

Operation Time

48 hours

Communicative

Indicates when battery is low

Design Specifications: Inexpensive

Specific Metric
Low Product Cost

Quantitative Value
< $100 (*16 players = $1600 currently for
entire team)

Existing Solutions

Current Technology Being Used

Bubble Level Application

Measures ground incline

WheelMill System

Quantitative measurement of VO2 Max

Power Measurement: In Lab

Ergometer

Hand crank while sitting in wheelchair

Treadmill Drag Test

Wheelchair on treadmill

Power Measurement: Outdoors

SmartWheel
OptiPush

SmartWheel

OptiPush

Incline Measurement
Accelerometer

US Patent 4,941,354

No additional DC acceleration

Liquid Capacitive Inclinometer

US Patent 9,074,885

Group Organization

Design Schedule

Alex Brenner
Preliminary Presentation
Progress Presentation
Final Presentation
Progress Report
Final Report
Primary Contact with Client
Webmaster
Weekly Reports
Software Development
Hardware Development

Maisie Mahoney

Nicole Migotsky

Questions?

References
Wheelchair Rugby: USA vs GBR. Dir. Paralympics Games. Perf. USAWR. YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2015. <https://www.
youtube.com/watch?v=pNERpMkMhlY>.
Liquid Capacitive Inclinometer. Digital Image.SEIKA-incline sensor. Web.
Vegter RJ, Lamoth CJ, de Groot S, Veeger DH, van der Woude LH. Variability in bimanual wheelchair propulsion: consistency of two
instrumented wheels during handrim wheelchair propulsion on a motor driven treadmill. Journal of neuroengineering and
rehabilitation. 10:9. 2013.
Goosey-Tolfrey, Vicky. "Wheelchair Rugby." Wheelchair Sport: A Complete Guide for Athletes, Coaches, and Teachers. Champaign, IL:
Human Kinetics, 2010. 151-66. Print.
Sindall P, Lenton JP, Whytock K. Criterion validity and accuracy of global positioning satellite and data logging devices for wheelchair
tennis court movement. The journal of spinal cord medicine. 36(4):383-93. 2013.
"Obesity and Overweight." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 02 June 2015.
Web. 23 Sept. 2015.
Sporner ML, Grindle GG, Kelleher A, Teodorski EE, Cooper R, Cooper RA. Quantification of activity during wheelchair basketball and
rugby at the National Veterans Wheelchair Games: A pilot study. Prosthetics and orthotics international. 33(3):210-7. 2009.
"NWS Winter Storm Safety Windchill Information and Chart." National Weather Service. USA.gov, n.d. Web.
Mason B, Lenton J, Rhodes J, Cooper R, Goosey-Tolfrey V. Comparing the activity profiles of wheelchair rugby using a miniaturised
data logger and radio-frequency tracking system. BioMed research international. 2014:348048. 2014.

References
Lemondo Ltd (2013). Bubble Level (Version 2.1) [Mobile Application Software]Retrieved from Apple App Store
Klaesner J, Morgan KA, Gray DB. The development of an instrumented wheelchair propulsion testing and training device. Assistive
technology : the official journal of RESNA. 26(1):24-32. 2014.
Tropp H, Samuelsson K, Jorfeldt L. Power output for wheelchair driving on a treadmill compared with arm crank ergometry. British
journal of sports medicine. 31(1):41-4. 1997.
van der Woude LH, Veeger HE, Dallmeijer AJ, Janssen TW, Rozendaal LA. Biomechanics and physiology in active manual wheelchair
propulsion. Medical engineering & physics. 23(10):713-33. 2001.
Ambrosio F, Boninger ML, Souza AL, Fitzgerald SG, Koontz AM, Cooper RA. Biomechanics and strength of manual wheelchair users. The
journal of spinal cord medicine. 28(5):407-14. 2005.
Cooper RA. SMARTWheel: From concept to clinical practice. Prosthetics and orthotics international. 33(3):198-209. 2009.
Guo L, Kwarciak AM, Rodriguez R, Sarkar N, Richter WM. Validation of a biofeedback system for wheelchair propulsion training.
Rehabilitation research and practice. 2011:590780. 2011.
Russell et al. Tri-Axial Accelerometers US Patent 4,941,354. 17 Jul 1990.
Rieker Incorporated, Small Size Liquid Capacitive Electronic Analog Output Inclinometer Sensors, SK0008_01/02 General
Specifications Brochure. [Revised 01/07]
Fisher, Christopher. Analog Devices. Appl. Note 1057.
Chen J, Chen C, Chen B. Liquid capacitive micro inclinometer US Patent 9,074,885. 7 Jul 20