Verification of the Operability of Short-Distance Mobility Vehicles (Electric Wheelchair) WHILL Through Test Drive Experiments
Koji Sakai, Mizuho Yasuda · Journal of Psychology Research · 2024
In this study, we used the short-distance mobility vehicles (electric wheelchair) WHILL, which is sold as a mobility support device rather than a welfare care device, and conducted test rides on campus and on public roads.The participants in the experiment were 10 healthy men and women in their 20s to 60s who did not use electric wheelchairs in their daily lives.The results showed that about half of the experiment participants did not feel anxious about operating WHILL.On the other hand, many participants felt uneasy about the operation of moving backward diagonally.The WHILL's steering wheel was easy to operate, and it was also very comfortable during the test drive.Before and after the test drive, the impression evaluation of WHILL changed significantly from negative to positive.An improved model of WHILL was proposed based on the results of the questionnaire survey and interview survey after the test drive.