PRO242: PARAFiTGo

Noor Hafifi Noorhisham Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

I3DC24 | Professional (Online)

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People with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) have shown low physical fitness including strength and aerobic capacity due to paralysis and other complications. Therefore, they are unable to participate in an active lifestyle which leads to the development of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, and obesity. The secondary complications may further affect the function in the activity of daily living (ADL) and poor Quality of Life (QOL). This portable wheelchair treadmill (PARAFiTGoTM) as a cardiorespiratory fitness exercise tool is useful to enhance physical fitness which is important for mobility, ADL function, and social participation. However, existing products in the market are not portable making them difficult to locate in congested spaces, costly to manufacture and only available in the abroad market. This project aims to develop a portable wheelchair treadmill (PARAFiTGoTM) to increase cardiorespiratory fitness after spinal cord injury. This product underwent wheelchair anthropometry measurements in the community, a stakeholder perspective as well as product design. Consumer feedback will be taken to ensure the product meets the requirements and sufficient satisfactory level before commercialization. In conclusion, besides having potential for commercialization, this assistive device may help to enhance physical fitness among SCI people which is beneficial for mobility, the activity of daily living (ADL), participation in an active lifestyle as well as QOL. We thank our GGPM 2023-071, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), as well as colleagues from the Physiotherapy Department and Centre of Rehabilitation and Special Needs Study, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and Pusat Rehabilitasi PERKESO who provided insight, advice, and expertise that hugely assisted in this project.