Initial Report on Wheelesley: A Robotic Wheelchair System

Abstract

An assistive robotic wheelchair system should allow its user to travel more efficiently and with greater ease. While standard electric wheelchairs can be used by people with limited upper body mobility, some tasks such as door opening and moving around corners require fine joystick control that these users often find difficult. This paper reports initial work in the development of a semiautonomous robotic wheelchair system. The robotic wheelchair system described in this paper, Wheelesley, automates many common navigational tasks for the user. The system consists of a standard electric wheelchair with an on-board computer, sensors and a graphical user interface running on a mounted notebook computer. Introduction Assistive robotics can improve the quality of life for disabled people. This project aims to develop a robotic wheelchair system that will assist its user with navigational tasks while supplying information about the world to the user. Electric wheelchairs can be used by peo...