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Perceiving and Avoiding Rollover in Agricultural Tractors
Published in Peter Hancock, John Flach, Jeff Caird, Kim Vicente, Local Applications of the Ecological Approach to Human-Machine Systems, 2018
Steven B. Flynn, Thomas A. Stoffregen
Elderly people sometimes ride specially designed tricycles as an alternative to bicycles or walking. These can be powered electrically or by pedaling. Tricycles are chosen because of their passive stability; less effort is required to control their orientation, and there is no need for continuous control (as is required on a bicycle). As with tractors, the center of mass of a tricycle tends to be high relative to the wheel base, and hence rollover may be a problem under some operational conditions. Tricycles normally operate on less tilted and smoother ground than do tractors; this should further increase stability. But with tricycles the mass of the operator is a much higher proportion of system mass than is the case with tractors. It may be that a major cause of rollovers with tricycles is movements of the operator that shift the center of mass of the tricycle system. Another possibility is that tricycle rollovers are caused by overly sharp turns, that is, when the operator employs a very short turning radius. The elevated center of mass of the tricycle-plus-rider makes tricycles relatively susceptible to this kind of turnover.
Outdoor E-trike cycling: A low intensity physical activity
Published in Assistive Technology, 2022
Roos Bulthuis, Monique Tabak, Leendert Schaake, Hermie Hermens
People with a disability or chronic disease do not engage in activities during daily life as much as healthy people (Rimmer et al., 2004). A lack of adapted equipment is mentioned as one of the barriers to participate in leisure time physical activity or active transport (Jaarsma et al., 2014; Rimmer et al., 2004; Spivock et al., 2008). For example, conventional bicycles or e-bikes are not adapted for people with reduced balance. Tricycles can provide an opportunity to engage in physical activity for those unable to cycle on a conventional bicycle, but with the ability to pedal and steer (Hickman, 2016). Tricycles could also improve road safety, because cyclists do not need to worry about losing balance (Hagemeister et al., 2018). This could make tricycles a suitable option for people with disabilities or chronic diseases to engage in active transport or leisure time physical activity. However, another barrier to participate in physical activity is disability or reduced health (Jaarsma et al., 2014), which could hamper the ability to ride a tricycle. Electrically assisted tricycles (e-trikes) can be a suitable assistive technology for those with a disability or reduced health to participate in physical activity during daily life. They are similar to e-bikes and provide additional pedal support resulting in lower exercise intensity and effort, and higher speed.