The NavChair Assistive Wheelchair Navigation System

The NavChair Assistive Wheelchair Navigation System is being developed to reduce the cognitive and physical requirements of operating a power wheelchair for people with wide ranging impairments that limit their access to powered mobility. The NavChair is based on a commercial wheelchair system with...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE transactions on rehabilitation engineering 1999-12, Vol.7 (4), p.443-451
Main Authors: Levine, S.P., Bell, D.A., Jaros, L.A., Simpson, R.C., Koren, Y., Borenstein, J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algorithms
Automatic control
Collision avoidance
Computer interfaces
Control systems
Equipment Design
Handicapped persons
Humans
Intelligent sensors
Locomotion
Mobile robots
Motion control
Multichip modules
Navigation
Navigation systems
Reproducibility of Results
Robotics - instrumentation
Robotics - methods
Sensor systems
Sensors
Therapy, Computer-Assisted - instrumentation
Therapy, Computer-Assisted - methods
Ultrasonic devices
User-Computer Interface
Wheelchairs
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Summary:The NavChair Assistive Wheelchair Navigation System is being developed to reduce the cognitive and physical requirements of operating a power wheelchair for people with wide ranging impairments that limit their access to powered mobility. The NavChair is based on a commercial wheelchair system with the addition of a DOS-based computer system, ultrasonic sensors, and an interface module interposed between the joystick and power module of the wheelchair. The obstacle avoidance routines used by the NavChair in conjunction with the ultrasonic sensors are modifications of methods originally used in mobile robotics research. The NavChair currently employs three operating modes: general obstacle avoidance, door passage, and automatic wall following. Results from performance testing of these three operating modes demonstrate their functionality. In additional to advancing the technology of smart wheelchairs, the NavChair has application to the development and testing of "shared control" systems where a human and machine share control of a system and the machine can automatically adapt to human behaviors.
ISSN:1063-6528
1558-0024
DOI:10.1109/86.808948