What is the AMPS?

1. What is the AMPS?

The Anatomical Model Propulsion System (or "AMPS" for short) is a robotic wheelchair tester. It was designed to resemble the overall size, shape, and weight of a human wheelchair user(picture on the right). We use the AMPS to measure the amount of energy required to propel manual wheelchairs over a certain distance, and it provides us a 'propulsion cost'(2) value for each configuration(3), like the gas mileage rating on a car. The benefit of the robotic tester is that it has excellent repeatability over multiple trials, it does not get 'tired' or fatigued, and it is entirely controllable so that we can design specific motions or maneuvers to test different styles of motion or propulsion.

2. what is Propulsion cost?

3. What does it mean by configuration?

A wheelchair is made up of the frame, drive wheels, casters, forks, footrest as shown below.

We investigated different wheelchair frames, casters, drive wheels, and forks. Different configurations should result in various propulsion costs. The first project is to develop a maneuver that mimics human behavior. At the same time, it should be able to differentiate among different surfaces and configurations.