How to transform a powered wheelchair in a robotic aid for motor-disabled

Abstract

We focus on the navigation and guidance system of a powered wheelchair. The introduction of this system allows the autonomy and security of motor-disabled people to be increased. The design of the navigation system has taken into consideration criteria of usability, acceptability, efficiency and cost. We have developed a navigation module with different levels of autonomy which realizes an active interaction of the user with the robotic aid. The integration of the input-output devices in the assistive system has been developed with the standard M3S protocol.