Effects of wheels and tires on high-strength lightweight wheelchair propulsion cost using a robotic wheelchair tester.

These results indicated that with better casters and drive wheel tires, the performance of high strength lightweight wheelchairs can be improved and better meet the mobility needs of users.Implications for rehabilitationWheel and tire selection can have a demonstrable impact on the propulsion efficiency of manual wheelchairsCoast-down test protocols can be used as a simple and cost-effective means of assessing representative energy losses across various surfacesWheelchair configurations can be optimized with proper knowledge of the main energetic loss contributions and the environments and contexts of use.