Our researchers at USF have invented a wheelchair navigation assistance device. This device can be installed to power wheelchairs as an add-on option to help the user navigate through busy environments. It consists of multiple ultrasonic sensors around the base of the wheelchair, a computer and a joystick to control the direction of wheelchair. Information generated by the sensor is used to detect obstacles and the user input from the joystick is modified so that the wheelchair moves in the same direction, but without bumping into the detected obstacle. A feedback mechanism is also implemented in this invention, which is utilized to modify the wheelchair motion in real time based on dynamically changing the location of the clutter. This invention finds potential application in the field of autonomous self-driving.
Prototype of Wheelchair Navigation Assistance Device