Deves Mathieu, Poulet Yoann, Paradela Thomas, Hays Arnaud, Faupin Arnaud, Sauret Christophe
Laboratoire Jeunesse Activité Physique et Sportive - Santé (J-AP2S), Université de Toulon, La Garde, France.
Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT), Paris, France.
Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol. 2025 Aug 2:1-17. doi: 10.1080/17483107.2025.2540059.
: Rolling resistance (RR) significantly impacts the energy efficiency of manual wheelchair propulsion, influencing both daily mobility and sports performance. RR increases when weight shifts forward, making casters a critical contributor. This study aimed to isolate and evaluate the effects of caster diameter, hardness, cross-section, and caster type on RR across diverse surfaces, including sports and everyday environments. : Ten casters with varying characteristics (diameter, hardness, cross-section, and material) were tested on six surfaces (GreenSet, clay, Taraflex, linoleum, stabilised ground floor, and tiles) using a custom deceleration cart. Measurements were collected using a wireless inertial measurement unit during deceleration tests, following a structured experimental design. : Statistical analysis confirmed that smaller caster diameters exhibited higher RR, while larger casters reduced resistance. Harder casters generally minimized RR, except on stabilised ground floor, where softer casters performed better. Cross-section effects varied by surface, with flat profiles reducing RR on both smooth and irregular terrains. Skate-type casters demonstrated the lowest RR across most surfaces. : These findings highlight the critical role of tailoring caster configurations to specific surface characteristics for optimizing MWC performance. The results can provide valuable recommendations to manual wheelchair users regarding the optimal caster configuration based on their daily mobility needs or the specific characteristics of sports surfaces they train and compete on. Furthermore, the evaluation of ten different casters across six surfaces constitutes a robust dataset, serving as a foundation for the development of digital applications or the integration of resistance values into ergometers.
滚动阻力（RR）对手动轮椅推进的能量效率有显著影响，关乎日常移动性和运动表现。当重量向前转移时滚动阻力会增加，这使得脚轮成为一个关键因素。本研究旨在分离并评估脚轮直径、硬度、横截面和脚轮类型对包括运动和日常环境在内的各种表面上滚动阻力的影响。
使用定制的减速推车，在六个表面（GreenSet、粘土、塔拉夫莱克斯地板、油毡、稳定的底层地板和瓷砖）上测试了十个具有不同特性（直径、硬度、横截面和材料）的脚轮。在减速测试期间，按照结构化实验设计，使用无线惯性测量单元收集测量数据。
统计分析证实，较小的脚轮直径表现出较高的滚动阻力，而较大的脚轮则降低了阻力。较硬的脚轮通常能使滚动阻力最小化，但在稳定的底层地板上除外，在那里较软的脚轮表现更好。横截面的影响因表面而异，扁平轮廓在光滑和不规则地形上都能降低滚动阻力。在大多数表面上，滑板型脚轮的滚动阻力最低。
这些发现凸显了根据特定表面特性定制脚轮配置对于优化手动轮椅性能的关键作用。研究结果可以根据手动轮椅使用者的日常移动需求或他们训练和比赛所使用的运动表面的特定特性，为他们提供关于最佳脚轮配置的宝贵建议。此外，在六个表面上对十个不同脚轮进行的评估构成了一个强大的数据集，为数字应用的开发或将阻力值集成到测力计中奠定了基础。
