Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.5
2.5
Journals
Applied Sciences
Special Issues
Mobility Aids: Design, Methods, and User-Centered Solutions
applsci-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Applied Sciences Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Mobility Aids: Design, Methods, and User-Centered Solutions

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomedical Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 596

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Claire Flemmer

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Built Environment (SBE), Massey University, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand
Interests: manual wheelchair; accessibility; robotics; health; disability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jorge Morais

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Centre for Active Living and Wellbeing (LiveWell), Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal
Interests: physical activity; performance; biomechanics; swimming; physiology; modelling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mobility impairment is one of the most common types of disability, affecting about one in seven people and being more prevalent in the elderly. Impairment can be permanent and progressive as a result of chronic conditions, or impairment can be temporary from a broken leg or leg surgery. Whether the impairment is chronic or acute, the resulting physical and social challenges significantly reduce independence and have a profound impact on quality of life. Researchers trying to alleviate these challenges are investigating the many dimensions of innovative mobility aids including advanced medical devices for improved mobility, equipment that supports exercise and rehabilitation, software tools for navigation and accessibility mapping and ways to increase the uptake of mobility solutions.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Applied System Innovation.

Dr. Claire Flemmer
Dr. Jorge Morais
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • mobility aid
  • wheelchair
  • leg prosthetic
  • exoskeleton
  • rehabilitation
  • navigation
  • accessibility
  • accessibility implementation

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

15 pages, 1727 KB  
Article
Universal Bidirectional Wheelchair Propulsion System: Design and Development of a Detachable Mechanism for Manual Wheelchair Users with Spinal Cord Injury
by Dongheon Kang, Eunchae Kang, Jiyoung Park and Seon-Deok Eun
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(5), 2505; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16052505 - 5 Mar 2026
Viewed by 339
Abstract
Manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury (SCI) rely heavily on upper-limb function for independent mobility, which often leads to cumulative musculoskeletal loading due to repetitive propulsion. To address limitations associated with conventional unidirectional pushrim propulsion, this study presents the design and development [...] Read more.
Manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury (SCI) rely heavily on upper-limb function for independent mobility, which often leads to cumulative musculoskeletal loading due to repetitive propulsion. To address limitations associated with conventional unidirectional pushrim propulsion, this study presents the design and development of a detachable bidirectional wheelchair propulsion system that enables mode-dependent push and pull inputs through a mechanically reconfigurable lever mechanism. The proposed system allows conventional forward propulsion through forward pushing, while enabling alternative propulsion patterns through lever mode switching. Depending on the selected mode, either pushing or pulling inputs can be mechanically coupled to forward or backward wheel rotation, without requiring powered actuation or permanent modification of the wheelchair structure. This design expands the range of feasible propulsion strategies by allowing a selectable relationship between propulsion input direction and wheelchair movement direction through mechanical mode switching via a purely mechanical transmission architecture. The system is designed as a modular add-on compatible with standard manual wheelchairs, incorporating a clamp-based detachable interface and a gear-driven bidirectional transmission mechanism. Design considerations emphasize mechanical simplicity, controllability, and compatibility with existing wheelchair configurations, while preserving baseline pushrim functionality. This design-focused study reports the engineering rationale, mechanical architecture, and feasibility of a detachable bidirectional propulsion concept for manual wheelchairs. By explicitly documenting the system configuration and mode-switching logic, this work aims to provide a transparent design framework that can support future experimental validation and user-centered evaluation of bidirectional propulsion strategies for manual wheelchair users with SCI. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mobility Aids: Design, Methods, and User-Centered Solutions)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-1
Back to TopTop