Weightless Neural System Employing Simple Sensor Data for Efficient Real-Time Round-Corner, Junction and Doorway Detection for Autonomous System Path Planning in Smart Robotic Assisted Healthcare Wheelchairs

Abstract

Human assistive devices need to be effective with real-time assistance in real world situations: powered wheelchair users require reassuring robust support, especially in the area of collision avoidance. However, it is important that the intelligent system does not take away control from the user. The patient must be allowed to provide the intelligence in the system and the assistive technology must be engineered to be sufficiently smart to recognize and accommodate this. Robotic assistance employed in the healthcare arena must therefore emphasize positive support rather than adopting an intrusive role. Weightless Neural Networks are an excellent pattern recognition tool for real-time applications. This paper introduces a technique for look-ahead identification of open doorways and junctions. Simple sensor data in real-time is used to detect open doors with inherent data uncertainties using a technique applied to a Weightless Neural Network Architecture.