Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Assistive Technology and Artificial Intelligence pp 150–178Cite as

Developing intelligent wheelchairs for the handicapped

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 1458))

Abstract

A brief survey of research in the development of autonomy in wheelchairs is presented and AAI's R&D to build a series of intelligent autonomous wheelchairs is discussed. A standardized autonomy management system that can be installed on readily available power chairs which have been well-engineered over the years has been developed and tested. A behavior-based approach was used to establish sufficient on-board autonomy at minimal cost and material usage, while achieving high efficiency, sufficient safety, transparency in appearance, and extendability. So far, the add-on system has been installed and tried on two common power wheelchair models. Initial results are highly encouraging.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. D. A. Bell, S. P. Levine, Y. Koren, L. A. Jaros, and J. Borenstein. Design criteria for obstacle avoidance in a shared-control system. RESNA '94, Nashville, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  2. V. Braitenberg. Vehicles: experiments in synthetic psychology. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA. 1984.

    Google Scholar 

  3. R. A. Brooks. A robust layered control system for a mobile robot. IEEE Journal of Robotics and Automation, RA-2, 1986.

    Google Scholar 

  4. R. A. Brooks. New approaches to robotics. Science 253, 1991, pp 1227–1232.

    Google Scholar 

  5. R.A. Brooks. Intelligence without reason. In Proc. IJCAI-91, Sydney, Australia, August 1991.

    Google Scholar 

  6. J. Connell and P. Viola. Cooperative control of a semi-autonomous mobile robot. Robotics and Automation Conference, 1990, pp 1118–1121.

    Google Scholar 

  7. J.D. Crisman and M.E. Cleary. Progress on the deictically controlled wheelchair. In Mittal et al. [15].

    Google Scholar 

  8. T. Gomi. Non-cartesian robotics. Robotics and Autonomous Systems 18, 1996, Elsevier, pp 169–184.

    Google Scholar 

  9. T. Gomi. Aspects of non-cartesian robotics. In Proceedings of Artificial Life and Robotics (AROB'96), Japan, February 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  10. T. Gomi. Subsumption robots and the application of intelligent robots to the service industry. Applied AI Systems, Inc. Internal Report, 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  11. T. Gomi and K. Ide. The development of an intelligent wheelchair. In Proceedings of IVS'96, Tokyo, Japan, September 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  12. I. Harvey. Evolutionary robotics and SAGA: the case for hill crawling and tournament selection. In Artificial Life 3 Proceedings, C. Langton, ed., Santa Fe Institute Studies in the Sciences of Complexity, Proc. Vol XVI, 1992, pp 299–326.

    Google Scholar 

  13. I. Horswill. A simple, cheap, and robust visual navigation system. Second International Conference on Simulation of Adaptive Behavior (SAB'92), Honolulu, Hawaii, 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  14. P. Maes. Behavior-based artificial intelligence. Second International Conference on Simulation of Adaptive Behavior (SAB'92), Honolulu, Hawaii, 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  15. V. Mittal, H. Yanco, J. Aronis, and R. Simpson, eds. Lecture Notes in AI: Assistive Technology and Artificial Intelligence, 1998. This volume.

    Google Scholar 

  16. R. Pfeifer and C. Scheier. Introduction to “new artificial intelligence≓. Institut fur Informatik der Universitat Zurich, July 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  17. R.C. Simpson, S.P. Levine, D.A. Bell, L.A. Jaros, Y. Koren, and J. Borenstein. NavChair: an assistive wheelchair navigation system with automatic adaptation. In Mittal et al. [15].

    Google Scholar 

  18. L. Steels. Building agents out of autonomous behavior systems. The Biology and Technology of Intelligent Autonomous Agents, NATO Advanced Study Institute, Trento, 1993, Lecture Notes.

    Google Scholar 

  19. H. Wang, C-U. Kang, T. Ishimatsu, T. Ochiai. Auto navigation on the wheel chair. In Proceedings of Artificial Life and Robotics (AROB'96), Beppu, Japan, February 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  20. H.A. Yanco. Wheelesley, a robotic wheelchair system: indoor navigation and user interface. In Mittal et al. [15].

    Google Scholar 

  21. H. A. Yanco, A. Hazel, A. Peacock, S. Smith and H. Wintermute. Initial report on Wheelesley: a robotic wheelchair system In Proceedings of the Workshop on Developing AI Applications for the Disabled, V.O. Mittal and J.A. Aronis, eds., held at the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Montreal, Canada, August 1995.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Applied AI Systems, Inc. (AAI), 340 March Road, Suite 600, K2K 2E4, Kanata, Ontario, Canada

    Takashi Gomi & Ann Griffith

Authors
  1. Takashi Gomi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ann Griffith
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Vibhu O. Mittal Holly A. Yanco John Aronis Richard Simpson

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1998 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Gomi, T., Griffith, A. (1998). Developing intelligent wheelchairs for the handicapped. In: Mittal, V.O., Yanco, H.A., Aronis, J., Simpson, R. (eds) Assistive Technology and Artificial Intelligence. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1458. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0055977

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0055977

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-64790-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-68678-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation