Wheelz 4 Daily Life: Bringing Activity Tracking to Everyday Wheelchair Use

For ambulatory people, tracking daily activity with a smartwatch has become second nature. For wheelchair users, especially elderly people, such tools are scarce—despite the importance of monitoring mobility for rehabilitation, treatment evaluation, or lifestyle changes. Closing this gap requires technology that is accurate, accessible, and designed with the user in mind.

Why Wheelz 4 Daily Life?

Inspired by academic work such as WheelPower and driven by a growing societal focus on inclusivity, visible in the rising popularity of the Paralympic Games, there is great momentum to make high-quality sensor technologies available to everyday wheelchair users. Wheelz 4 Daily Life builds on this momentum. It aims to provide activity tracking that does more than count movements: it defines meaningful benchmarks and supports healthy lifestyles and motor skill development across all ages.

For ambulant populations, reference values like 10,000 steps per day help guide activity goals. For wheelchair users, no equivalent benchmark currently exists. Yet both users and healthcare professionals would greatly benefit from knowing how active someone is in their wheelchair. By introducing reliable, sensor-based tracking, much like early pedometers and modern smartphones did for walking populations, Wheelz 4 Daily Life seeks to fill this gap. Alongside activity data, the initiative highlights the need for motor skill development milestones, enabling more personalised and effective lifestyle guidance.

From Sports Innovation to Everyday Care

The foundation for this movement lies in the C2D WheelPower project, where a highly accurate inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor was first validated in wheelchair sports. Placed directly in the wheel, the sensor can measure push frequency, distance, speed, rotation, and physical strain. This proven technology is now being translated beyond elite sports into daily life, rehabilitation, and wheelchair fitting, aligning seamlessly with the goals of Wheelz 4 Daily Life.

Academic and Clinical Collaboration

Kinetic Analysis plays an active role in several initiatives that contribute to this broader vision. Within the AI op Rolletjes project, developed in collaboration with The Hague University and Avans+ University, a Master’s student in Geriatric Physical Therapy is researching the use of IMU sensors to monitor wheelchair activity in older adults. In parallel, work with TU Delft, supported by ZonMw and NWO funding (Take-off Phase 1, Spring 2024, project Keep me on track), explores how this type of sensor can bridge validated sports technology and real-world clinical practice.

The Road Ahead

Ultimately, the aim is to empower wheelchair users with a tool comparable to the smartwatch: easy to use, clinically relevant, and genuinely motivating. By enabling continuous monitoring of mobility, Wheelz 4 Daily Life supports both self-management and professional care, helping users track progress after rehabilitation, evaluate interventions, or stay active enough in daily life. With defined activity benchmarks and motor skill milestones, this approach lays the groundwork for healthier lifestyles and more inclusive mobility insights for all wheelchair users.