Why I Am Building a PMA Simulator for All

Three years ago, I built a motorised wheelchair driving game as a hobby.

At the time, I thought I was simply building a game. Today, I see it differently.

I believe it has the potential to transform how seniors learn to use Personal Mobility Aids (PMAs), while helping occupational therapists (OTs) and vendors cope with growing demand for assessment and training.

This manifesto explains why.

The Recurring Problem

PMA subsidies typically require OTs to assess users and train them to a level of proficiency that allows them to use their PMAs safely. Some of this training is conducted together with vendors, especially during home trials, where we assess whether a PMA is suitable for the user's environment and whether the user can safely navigate real-life obstacles.

After conducting numerous home trials, I have seen the same problems repeatedly.

Many seniors struggle to learn how to operate the devices, particularly when reversing. For electric wheelchairs, users can become confused because steering direction reverses when moving backwards: pulling the joystick left causes the wheelchair to reverse right, and vice versa.

For mobility scooters, many struggle to grasp the concept of a three-point turn. They may go back and forth along the same arc without getting closer to where they need to be.

Each trial is typically only about an hour, so time is limited. Yet seniors are often asked to attempt difficult manoeuvres—such as reverse turns, three-point turns, and parking—before they have mastered the basic skills.

As a result, OTs and vendors may need to conduct multiple sessions before a senior is proficient enough to pass an assessment. Even then, some do not succeed and lose the opportunity to obtain a PMA that could materially improve their mobility and independence.

Why the Problem Has Become Worse in 2026

The number of cases appears to have increased significantly this year. Funding criteria have been relaxed, allowing more people to qualify for subsidies. New regulations restricting the use of mobility scooters have also made the funding route more attractive, as it involves less administrative friction for eligible users.

It takes years to train an OT. They are healthcare professionals who require proper education, training, and certification. When demand rises faster than the supply of qualified OTs, the inevitable result is heavier caseloads.

For vendors, the problem is less acute because we mainly perform a logistics and support function, and our involvement in the training cycle is shorter. Still, each home trial carries fuel and manpower costs, with no guarantee of an order if the senior ultimately fails the driving assessment.

And when seniors cannot pass after several sessions, they may be deprived of the chance to improve their quality of life through the mobility freedom that a PMA can provide.

A Common Objective

OTs want manageable caseloads.

Vendors want fewer repeated home trials.

Seniors want a better chance of passing their assessments.

The shared objective is clear: help users reach the required level of proficiency with fewer physical training sessions.

The Solution

This is where a PMA training simulator comes in.

It does not replace physical trials, and it is not meant to. Every PMA handles differently, and there are nuances of real-world driving that a 2D simulator cannot fully capture.

But it can complement physical training.

Physical sessions are typically at least a week apart, and sometimes several weeks apart. In that time, seniors may forget much of what they learnt during the previous session. The simulator can be downloaded onto a senior's phone and used between sessions as a supplementary exercise to reinforce skills before the next physical training session.

Think about school. Students attend lessons in class, but teachers assign homework during the holidays so that learning is not lost between terms. The simulator is that homework.

It can also serve as an early screening aid. If a user repeatedly cannot pass basic simulator exercises—and does not have a physical limitation that prevents them from operating the phone controls—it may be a useful red flag for OTs and family members. It can prompt a closer review of whether the senior is ready to use a PMA safely.

The simulator can be especially useful for self-paying customers who do not have the benefit of formal OT training. Family members can download it and observe whether the senior can complete the lessons before bringing them to a shop to try a physical device.

Simulator Design Principles

Three years ago, I designed the original version as a game. I was already an experienced PMA driver, and I built it for myself—to drive around, navigate obstacles, and have fun.

But to build a training simulator, I have to think like a first-time user.

We will start with the basics: driving forward and parking within a target box; driving backwards and parking within a target box; and learning to increase and decrease speed.

From there, users progress through forward turns, pivot turns, reverse turns, and eventually difficult manoeuvres such as three-point turns, parallel parking, and 90-degree reverse parking.

Users must pass each level without collisions before the next level is unlocked. The lessons are sequenced by increasing difficulty so that seniors master the easiest skills before attempting the more demanding ones.

I am structuring it this way because, during home trials, I sometimes see seniors lose confidence, or even develop a fear of using the PMA, after being asked to attempt difficult manoeuvres too early.

Once users have completed the component lessons, they face a final obstacle course that combines the skills into one session. If they complete it without any collisions, they have "graduated".

Users may revisit any completed lesson whenever they need a refresher, including the final obstacle course.

To make the learning experience more tactile, users can attach mini mobile-gaming joysticks and buttons to their screens. This allows them to physically feel the controls instead of relying entirely on virtual controls on a flat touchscreen.

Free-to-Play, Ad-Free

ELFIGO will provide the PMA Simulator as a free-to-play, ad-free app on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

There are no conditions attached.

Users will not need to provide personal details or register an account. They will not need to pay. They will not need to purchase an ELFIGO PMA.

The simulator can benefit the entire industry: OTs, users, vendors—and even ELFIGO's competitors.

What's in It for ELFIGO?

Sometimes, leadership is not about wanting the role. It is about recognising that a problem needs solving and deciding to step up because no one else can or will.

Seniors are generally price-sensitive. Once an app is placed behind a paywall, mass adoption becomes less likely. Many are also less comfortable making online payments, even if they see value in the product.

We could require users to register accounts and collect their email addresses and phone numbers for marketing. But many seniors do not even have email.

We could monetise the app through advertising. But ads would make the experience more frustrating for the very people we are trying to help.

So I decided to build it free.

I will not pretend that I am doing this purely for altruistic reasons. ELFIGO is a privately funded, bootstrapped business—not a charity. We need to be financially viable.

But nobody said that we cannot do good and make a profit at the same time.

A free and genuinely useful simulator has the best chance of reaching a large number of people—and that creates value for both users and ELFIGO.

The PMAs in the simulator will carry the ELFIGO logo, making our brand visible throughout the experience.

We will also include an optional built-in product advisor. Users who choose to use it can answer a few questions and receive recommendations for suitable ELFIGO PMAs to explore further. This is pull, rather than push, advertising: users engage with it only when they are looking for guidance.

By keeping the simulator free, we encourage mass adoption, build brand awareness, and generate better-qualified leads.

And because I am able to develop the initial version myself, the development cost is close to zero. ELFIGO can therefore afford to make the app freely available.

The Development Road Map

The simulator can eventually be enhanced with actual hardware: a real electric-wheelchair joystick or mobility-scooter tiller connected to a console and a large TV screen.

A senior could sit comfortably in a chair, practise with a realistic mock-up of the controls, and learn from a large display rather than squinting at a small phone screen.

Taking the concept further, we could eventually develop a VR simulator that gives users a 360-degree view of their simulated environment. This could be particularly useful for training reversing skills and spatial awareness.

That stage will require engineers, hardware development, and likely external funding. It goes beyond what I can build alone as an amateur game developer.

But those are decisions for another day.

For now, I have a clear deadline: to launch at least a demo version of the motorised wheelchair simulator at Medical Fair Asia, from 9 to 11 September 2026 at Marina Bay Sands, where ELFIGO will be exhibiting at Booth 1H06.

 

Warren Chew
Founder
ELFIGO Mobility