Inhibitory Control of Downhill Turning Using Friction Brakes for Manual Wheelchair

We propose an inhibitory control system for downhill turning by using a pre-installed friction brake mounted on a manual wheelchair. The braking force of the wheel is controlled by an added DC geared motor that pulls the brake wire in accordance with the ground angle. The proposed automatic braking system can reduce unexpected turns on downhill slopes. The proposed control system is also designed to be installed as an add-on device for manual wheelchairs. The effectiveness of the proposed system is verified using a wheelchair through a slope running experiments.