Adaptation of integrated restraint (IR) technology for use in the wheelchair transportation industry

The use of integrated-seat restraints in automotive applications has improved occupant safety and decreased risk of injury during forward, rearward and rollover motor vehicle impacts. Wheelchair users who use motor vehicles for transportation, use their wheelchair as a motor vehicle seat. This study adapted the successfully integrated-seat restraint technology from the automotive industry for use in the wheelchair industry to protect wheelchair occupants during frontal impacts. Research currently done at the University of Pittsburgh shows that wheelchair-integrated restraint systems (WIRS) increase wheelchair occupant crash protection when compared to fixed vehicle-mounted restraint systems. The complete WIRS assembly was modeled and analyzed using Finite Element Analysis (FEA). Simulating a frontal crash with a safety factor, a static load of 4000 lbs. was applied at the shoulder belt anchor location in the forward direction. A displacement of 0.17 inches in the forward direction was calculated, which proves preliminary feasibility of the authors' WIRS design.