A short route is not always an easier route
Conventional maps can show distance and direction, but they rarely explain how repeated vibration, rough paving, or sudden impacts may affect a wheelchair journey.
Why surface quality matters
Two routes of the same length can feel very different from a wheelchair. Uneven paving, broken surfaces, cobblestones, gaps, and repeated small bumps may increase discomfort or fatigue even when a route appears direct on a standard map.
Route comfort is personal
Wheelchair type, tires, seating, suspension, power-assist equipment, speed, and phone mounting position can all change the motion measured during a ride. For that reason, RollSense focuses first on personal route memory and comparisons meaningful to the individual rider.
What a phone can observe
When securely mounted during an active ride, a smartphone can measure motion changes with its accelerometer and gyroscope while GPS provides route context. RollSense uses these synchronized measurements to estimate relative ride intensity along different route segments.
See the complete RollSense recording process.
Comfort is not a complete accessibility rating
A smoother surface does not automatically make a route accessible or safe. Curbs, gradients, crossing design, path width, temporary obstacles, traffic, and weather can all be decisive. RollSense's closed beta currently evaluates how motion-based route observations can complement—not replace—these considerations.