A safe communication system for wheelchair-mounted medical robots

Abstract

When a powered medical manipulator is added to a motorised electric wheelchair, the result is a system which can be safety critical for the user. When a number of other systems, such as environmental controllers, displays and navigation systems are incorporated into the overall systems, the complexity of control can further affect safety. The solution to these problems has resulted in the development of a new safe communication system for wheelchair mounted manipulator systems called Multiple-Master, Multiple-Slave (M3S). The work has been carried out as part of a consortium funded by the European TIDE programme.