Abstract: A wheeled object or vehicle, such as a hospital bed (10) comprises a main chassis or frame (12) supported by a plurality of supporting wheels or rollers (11), which define the vertices of a polygonal supporting surface (21). The bed, which is usually moved by a walking person, is provided with at least one motor driven driving device (15), including at least one driving wheel or roller (18), positioned within said polygonal supporting surface. The driving device is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis (14) in relation to the chassis or frame so as to change the angular position of the driving wheel (18) in relation to the chassis or frame. Biasing means, such as a compression spring or a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder (22, 34) is provided for biasing the driving device (15) in a direction away from the main chassis or frame (12) and towards the supporting surface (21).

Abstract: Driving and steering means of a wheeled, power driven vehicle, such as a power driven hospital bed, is actuated by an actuating device (30). This actuating device comprises a base member (31) and an actuating member (32) having gripping means, such as a pair of spaced handles (33), and being supported by the base member so as to be displaceable thereon along a plane. A first force transducer (34) is arranged to receive a force component manually applied to the actuating member in a predetermined first direction only, along said plane, and a second force transducer (38) is arranged to receive a force component manually applied to the actuating member in a predetermined second direction only, transversely to the first direction along said plane. Each of these force transducers is adapted to generate an output signal to the driving and steering means responsive to the strength of the force component received.