Assisted Control Mode for a Smart Wheelchair

Abstract

Our aim is to implement a force feedback joystick on a powered wheelchair provided with a set of range sensors. This system is intended to people with disability for whom a traditional joystick control (or any other adapted sensor control) is difficult or impossible because of too severe motor disabilities. The force feedback is calculated according to the proximity of the obstacles and helps the user, without forcing him, to move towards the free direction. Adopted methodology aims at circumventing certain obstacles which slow down the diffusion and thus the current use of smart wheelchairs: problems of safety, of reliability and of acceptability in particular. The results presented aim at identifying the driving situations for which an assisted control can really improve the piloting performances compared to a traditional manual control.

Usability testing of multimodal feedback interface and simulated collision-avoidance power wheelchair for long-term-care home residents with cognitive impairments

“…This proportional type of force feedback for manual joystick operation was previously discussed. The technology is still in development and has not been tested with the specified population of users with severe motor impairments [25][26] or in real environments [24][25][26].…”

“…Interface adaptations have been made to compensate for physical limitations, including decreased upper-limb strength or range of motion, spasticity, or tremor [22][23]. Haptic or force feedback joysticks have been used in collision-avoidance systems to help users navigate away from obstacles [24][25][26]. Haptic interfaces interact with a user's touch and kinesthetic systems through force or other mechanical stimuli [27] and passively or actively guide the user away from obstacles.…”

“…Haptic interfaces interact with a user's touch and kinesthetic systems through force or other mechanical stimuli [27] and passively or actively guide the user away from obstacles. The technologies have been tested in laboratory settings with computer simulation or virtual systems and subjects without physical or cognitive disabilities [25][26] and in a virtual reality environment with adults with cerebral palsy or postpolio syndrome [24].…”

A Dynamic Localized Adjustable Force Field Method for Real-Time Assistive Non-Holonomic Mobile Robotics

“…They are bounded by Eqn. (13) such that they drive their respective opposing side-wheel velocities to zero in the presence of obstacles, as previous work by Braitenberg [46] …”

“…Some of the research projects mentioned in 2005 have continued to influence research [13][14][15][16], while other new platforms have emerged [17][18][19] and some 4,018 papers have been published between 2005 and 2013. Despite this significant research, little has been done to bring smart PWCs to the end-users, according to Garcia et al [14].…”