Lecture 25Lecture 25

Dimitar Stefanov

Autonomous-Guided Wheelchairs

Go-to-goal wheelchairs

Wheelchair Control, based on Visual Wheelchair Control, based on Visual servoing of the head positionservoing of the head position

Shirai Lab (1997-1998)

Wheelchair Control, based on Visual Wheelchair Control, based on Visual servoing of the head position (continue)servoing of the head position (continue)

Wheelchair Control, based on Wheelchair Control, based on Visual servoing of the head Visual servoing of the head

position (continue)position (continue)

TAO-1TAO-1 Intelligent Intelligent WheelchairWheelchair

Applied AI Systems Inc.Applied AI Systems Inc.

TAO-1TAO-1 Intelligent WheelchairIntelligent WheelchairMain characteristicsMain characteristics

• Infared and bump sensors

• Automatic visual avoidance

• Voice command response

• Collision avoidance

• Passage through a narrow corridor

• Entry through a narrow doorway

• Landmark based navigation

TinMan intelligent wheelchair controllerTinMan intelligent wheelchair controllerMain characteristicsMain characteristics

• KISS Institute for Practical Robotics (KIPR)

• supplemental wheelchair controller that can be retrofitted to existing wheelchairs

• safely and independently operation a powered wheelchair by users who has partial visual impairment or brain damage,

• sensors for obstacles detection

TinMan intelligent wheelchair TinMan intelligent wheelchair controllercontroller (continue)(continue)

Light guidance system Light guidance system Dohi LabDohi Lab

Autonomous guided wheelchair Autonomous guided wheelchair Nagasaki University and Ube Technical College Nagasaki University and Ube Technical College

• uses existing ceiling lights• vision sensor (position)• azimuth sensor (orientation)• wheels angle rotation sensor (odometric information)• laser range sensor (obstacles detection)

•position error: 0.35 m;

•angular error: 17 degrees

MAid project MAid project Research Institute for Applied Knowledge Processing FAW Research Institute for Applied Knowledge Processing FAW

• robotic wheelchair for transport of elderly

• semi-autonomous mode• autonomous mode• wheel encoders• fiber-optic gyroscope• sonar system• infrared sensors SICK

WheelesleyWheelesley Intelligent wheelchair Intelligent wheelchair

WheelesleyWheelesley(continue)(continue)

• started at Wellesley College in 1995 (Holly Yanco)

• Developed at the KISS Institute

• moved to the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory

• interface EagleEyes system (EOG - electro-oculographic potential)

WheelesleyWheelesley EagleEyes system EagleEyes system

NavChairNavChairUniversity of MichiganUniversity of Michigan

NavChairNavChair(continue)(continue)

• University of Michigan (Simon Levine, Johann Borenstein)

• obstacle avoidance, follow walls

• narrow doorway passage

NavBeltNavBelt University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan

Device for guidance of blind people.

NavBelt generates acoustic cues

conveyed to the user via headphones.

GuideCaneGuideCane University of Michigan University of Michigan

•Fully automatic ultrasonic sensor-based obstacle avoidance

•Position information by combining odometry, compass, and gyroscope data

Device for guidance of blind people.

Drive AssistantDrive Assistant (cont)(cont)

• VTT Machine AutomationTampere, Finland

• vehicle positioning and navigation• dead reckoning• differential GPS• passive transponders• natural landmarks in the environment• laser based navigation• part of the project FOCUS for the TIDE programme• ultrasonic sensors• M3S interface.

Drive AssistantDrive Assistant (continue)(continue)

SENARIO (1SENARIO (1994)994)

SENARIOSENARIO((Ultrasonic sensors)Ultrasonic sensors)

SENARIOSENARIO(continue) (continue)

• Intelligence in the navigation systems of the powered wheelchair

• Autonomous mode - "go to goal" commands

• Obstacles and risks avoidance system.

Intelligent wheelchair at the Intelligent wheelchair at the University of Notre Dame University of Notre Dame

(1994)(1994)

PAM - AID projectPAM - AID projectPPersonal ersonal AAdaptive daptive MMobility obility AAid for the id for the IInfirm and nfirm and

ElEldderly Blinderly Blind

• Infrared proximity sensors• command bar with Braile code key• tone and voice feedback

•outdoor navigation PLUS physically support

•Labmate mobile base

•Joystick•Polaroid sonar sensors

HITOMI HITOMI Yamanishi University (Japan)Yamanishi University (Japan)

• “hitomi” = pupil• outdoor

navigation PLUS physically support

• vision system• sonar system

•DGPS and digital map

•voice MMI

•command bar with Braille code key.