‘Esseda’, the future of handrim wheelchair exercise testing and training!
Systematic training, testing and monitoring of wheelchair and user during and beyond rehabilitation, in adapted sports and over the lifespan, are critical to maintain functioning, health and wellbeing.
An estimated 1% of the World’s population is using wheeled mobility devices for daily ambulation. In the Western world wheeled mobility is dominated by handrim wheelchairs. Handrim wheelchair use is straining and inefficient, potentially leading to inactivity and/or upper extremity overuse complaints in the larger part of the population.
‘Esseda’ is a computer-controlled measurement and testing platform for handrim wheelchair performance. This innovative handrim wheelchair ergometry platform was based on experimental expertise and knowledge and in-house academic measurement devices that were developed over the past decades in the wheelchair research community in the Netherlands. The public-private consortium around ‘Esseda’ merged this academic knowledge base into a new ergometry paradigm in the Lode company. The productive collaboration provided a first series of research - market ready ‘Esseda’s’.
The ‘Esseda’ allows standardized and individualized exercise testing, training and monitoring, based on a power balance-based algorithm, that drives the instrumented left and right rollers. Feedback of actual speed is provided on-screen to the user continuously. The operator monitors physiological and biomechanical exercise data through a second screen. Consistency, reliability, internal and external validity of the ergometer platform proved to be good (Rick de Klerk, Development of a wheelchair propulsion laboratory, Thesis University of Groningen, 17-3-202).
The partnership has reached is main goal with the realease of the wheelchair Esseda as an end product - ”The ‘Esseda’ has become fast enough the end of the project available commercially from Lode BV and used in 10 research labs in the Netherlands and around the world. This project is a testament to the value of partneships in creating societal and economical impact. We anticipate to further develop the clinical potential for rehabilitation practice, adapted and Paralympic wheelchair sports with a continued collaboration of the ‘Esseda’ consortium.
On a scientific level, the project has resulted into the publication of PhD thesis with the title: ‘Development of a wheelchair propulsion laboratory’ which was successfully defended by Rick de Klerk at University on Groningen on 17-3-2021.
Additionally, the project has been showcased in several international scientific publications, conferences, exhibitions and other publications – presented in the end report.
