Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 10, 2026
Tactile Vibrating Toolkit and Driving Simulation Platform for Driving-Related Research
Published on: December 18, 2020
Assessment of wheelchair driving performance in a virtual reality-based simulator
Harshal P Mahajan1, Brad E Dicianno, Rory A Cooper
1VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA 15206, USA.
Objective:
To develop a virtual reality (VR)-based simulator that can assist clinicians in performing standardized wheelchair driving assessments.
Design:
A completely within-subjects repeated measures design.
Methods:
Participants drove their wheelchairs along a virtual driving circuit modeled after the Power Mobility Road Test (PMRT) and in a hallway with decreasing width. The virtual simulator was displayed on computer screen and VR screens and participants interacted with it using a set of instrumented rollers and a wheelchair joystick. Driving performances of participants were estimated and compared using quantitative metrics from the simulator. Qualitative ratings from two experienced clinicians were used to estimate intra- and inter-rater reliability.
Results:
Ten regular wheelchair users (seven men, three women; mean age ± SD, 39.5 ± 15.39 years) participated. The virtual PMRT scores from the two clinicians show high inter-rater reliability (78-90%) and high intra-rater reliability (71-90%) for all test conditions. More research is required to explore user preferences and effectiveness of the two control methods (rollers and mathematical model) and the display screens.
Conclusions:
The virtual driving simulator seems to be a promising tool for wheelchair driving assessment that clinicians can use to supplement their real-world evaluations.
