Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 1, 2026
Determining and Controlling External Power Output During Regular Handrim Wheelchair Propulsion
Published on: February 5, 2020
Development and validity of an instrumented handbike: initial results of propulsion kinetics
Stefan van Drongelen1, Jos van den Berg, Ursina Arnet
1Swiss Paraplegic Research, Guido A. Zächstrasse 4, Nottwil, Switzerland. stefan.vandrongelen@paranet.ch
Objective:
To develop an instrumented handbike system to measure the forces applied to the handgrip during handbiking.
Design:
A 6 degrees of freedom force sensor was built into the handgrip of an attach-unit handbike, together with two optical encoders to measure the orientation of the handgrip and crank in space. Linearity, precision, and percent error were determined for static and dynamic tests.
Results:
High linearity was demonstrated for both the static and the dynamic condition (r=1.01). Precision was high under the static condition (standard deviation of 0.2N), however the precision decreased with higher loads during the dynamic condition. Percent error values were between 0.3 and 5.1%.
Conclusion:
This is the first instrumented handbike system that can register 3-dimensional forces. It can be concluded that the instrumented handbike system allows for an accurate force analysis based on forces registered at the handle bars.
