Mobility Assistance Design of the Intelligent Robotic Wheelchair

Abstract

This paper presents the development of the “intelligent Robotic Wheelchair” ( i RW), emphasizing its mobility assistance design. The vehicle uses four Mecanum wheels to facilitate movement in all directions, including sideways, and zero radius of rotation. The i RW requires much less space than ordinary electric wheelchairs in turning and sideways manoeuvres. Based on this moving vehicle, mobility assistance functions are designed for three different operators: the wheelchair user, caregivers, and the i RW itself in autonomous behaviours. Five operation modes, all mutually exclusive, are developed: obstacle avoidance, joystick mode, handlebar mode, teleoperation, and indoor navigation. Man-machine collaborative control is reflected in the assignment of priorities to the three operators. The functional test performed in this research compared the operational efficiency of the five operation modes.