Introduction:

Welcome to the ORI Applied Computer Simulation Labs' Wheelchair Net software. Wheelchair Net is an advanced virtual environment simulation program designed to help orthopedically challenged individuals learn to more safely and effectively operate a powered wheelchair by practicing wheelchair driving maneuvers in a virtual environment.

The Wheelchair Net software takes advantage of the latest computer gaming technology, including advanced 3-D real-time rendering, 3-D spatial sound, and Internet connectivity for multi-user virtual spaces. The potential for this remarkable technology as it pertains to wheelchair mobility training has just begun to be investigated, and the Wheelchair Net software is one of the first applications for this technology designed specifically to help teach motor skills for wheelchair operation.

This project is funded by a grant from the US Department of Education. This software is free, but if you use it we ask that you contact us so we may track its usage.

Medical and Clinical Use of Wheelchair Net:

In addition to the use of the Wheelchair Net software in an educational setting the software has been designed to work well in a clinical or medical environment. Wheelchair Net is easy to use and automatically collects performance data for each student, once a user "account" has been set up. For more information about setting up user accounts refer to the "Using the Wheelchair Net Configuration Utility" section in this document.

Developer Information:

The Wheelchair Net software is developed by the Oregon Research Institute Applied Computer Simulation Labs. Our address and contact information is shown below.

Oregon Research Institute
Applied Computer Simulation Labs
1715 Franklin Blvd.
Eugene, OR 97403-1983
http://simlabs.ori.org

If you have any questions about the Wheelchair Net software, please contact the ORI Applied Computer Simulation Labs at the following URL: http://simlabs.ori.org/contact.