To effectively improve the tire grounding behaviors of wheelchair robots, an analytical method is proposed to analyze and optimize the tire grounding safety. Firstly, taking the cushion and tires as the vibration isolation elements with stiffness and damping, the vertical vibration model of the human-wheelchair robot is established. Then, taking the random excitation as the typical input, the f...

This paper presents a new approach for the absolute self-localization of a mobile robot in structured large-scale environments. The requirements with regard to both, the necessary a-priori knowledge as well as the sensor equipment, are low. The algorithm scales up very well, due to a hybrid representation of the environment that augments a topological map with metric information. As a consequen...

Hephaestus, the Greek god of fire, craftsmen and smiths was the only Olympian with a disability. Hephaestus was injured when his father, Zeus, flung him off Mount Olympus for siding against Zeus in a dispute with Hephaestus' mother, Hera. To compensate for his disability Hephaestus built two robots, one silver and one gold, to transport him. The Hephaestus Smart Wheelchair System is envisioned ...

This paper involves a new method to control and guide mobile robots. In this case, to send different commands is used electrooculography techniques (EOG), so that, control is made by means of the ocular position (eye displacement into its orbit). This control technic can be useful in multiple applications, but in this work is used to guide a autonomous robot (wheelchair) as system to help to pe...

While the needs of many individuals with disabilities can be satisfied with power wheelchairs, some members of the disabled community find it difficult or impossible to operate a standard power wheelchair. To accommodate this population, several researchers have used technologies originally developed for mobile robots to create "smart wheelchairs" that reduce the physical, perceptual, and cogni...

he Bremen Autonomous Wheelchair project covers a variety of research issues that include spatial cognition, safe systems, and mobility assistance for the handicapped. Emphasizing one or the other of these cornerstones provides various views of the wheelchair Rolland (Fig. 1). Within the framework of the priority program " Spatial Cognition " of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the main topi...

Studies have shown that individuals with disabilities, regardless of their age, benefit substantially from access to independent mobility, including electrically powered wheelchairs (Douglass & Ryan, 1987; Paulsson & Christoffersen, 1989; Verburg et al., 1991). Independent mobility increases vocational or educational opportunities, reduces dependence on caregivers, and promotes a feeling of sel...

In many fields employing robots, e.g., wheelchair robots, rescue robots, and construction robots, those which can move on rough terrain are desired. A robot with a simple mechanism and high mobility for all-terrain is discussed in this paper. A novel type of four-wheel-type mobile robot is developed, and its design is discussed from a functional viewpoint. In addition, strategies for moving on ...

The work described here is motivated by the necessities for safety and multi-functionality in rehabilitation robotics. The Bremen Autonomous Wheelchair will be presented as a platform for the realization of rehabilitation applications. This paper mainly focuses on safety issues. Thus, it presents the wheelchair's system architecture that contains a safety layer as its central module. Three appl...

Electric wheelchair is one of the equipment to be used by the incapacitated and disable people. Constant exposure to vibration affects human comfort and health. Reducing the vibrations transmitted to the human body is important in the electric wheelchair design and becomes a healthcare industry demand. This paper deals with the study on vibration control of the electric wheelchair suspension sy...