Behavior-based Perceptual Navigation for Semi-Autonomous Wheelchair Operations

This paper describes an overview of our semiautonomous (SA) wheelchair prototype and emphasizes the design of the perceptual navigation system. The goal of our project is to increase independent mobility of individuals who are wheelchair-bound and severely vision impaired, and the scope of the project focuses on developing the perceptual navigation system that is equipped with sonar sensors, a motorized camera system, and a tactile feedback system. We present an overview of a customized Behaviorbased control architecture: Behavior Cell and Behavior Network components, and implementation of behaviors such as obstacle notification, free-space finding, and doorway