Sensors to Improve the Safety for Wheelchair Users

1. Summary Sensor systems supporting autonomous navigation of mobile robots have been developed for different commercial application areas. These approaches have been transferred to electrical wheelchairs to assist disabled people in their mobility, by warning of obstacles in the way and by assisting in the navigation to return back home. The technical approach is based on a lowcost sensor data fusion of a ranging system, active markers, encoders and a GPS-system. This sensor configuration not only enables increased safety functions, but also provides additional useful capabilities for the hospital environment, like convoy driving of several wheelchairs, or autonomous driving on given courses.