A low-cost autonomous wheelchair navigation system

低成本自主轮椅导航系统

• 批准号: 485345-2015
• 负责人: Kelly, Jonathan
• 金额: $ 1.82万
• 依托单位: University of Toronto
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Engage Grants Program
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2015-01-01 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=584886
• 关键词: low; cost; autonomous; wheelchair; navigation

Electric wheelchairs are frequently prescribed to individuals who have substantial mobility challenges. For a subset of users with upper-body fine motor control impairments due to spinal cord injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and multiple sclerosis (MS), it is impossible to operate an electric wheelchair using the standard joystick interface. Such users must instead rely on other types of assistive control devices (for example, sip-and-puff switches) - these devices are typically extremely difficult to use, resulting in degraded mobility and a substantially deteriorated quality of life. In partnership with Simcoe Habilitation Services (SHS), Inc., the proposed research project will develop a low-cost autonomous wheelchair navigation system. SHS is a leading provider of occupational therapy services for severely disabled individuals living in the province of Ontario. The proposed system will use inexpensive commercial, off-the-shelf sensors such as the Microsoft Kinect depth camera, and will enable point-to-point navigation in home and office environments with a single command. This will dramatically enhance the mobility of a large population of wheelchair users: more than 65,000 Canadians with spinal cord injuries, ALS, and MS, may benefit from this type of navigation system.

电动轮椅通常是为行动不便的人士开具的。对于因脊髓损伤、肌萎缩侧索硬化症 (ALS) 和多发性硬化症 (MS) 导致上半身精细运动控制障碍的用户子集，不可能使用标准操纵杆界面操作电动轮椅。这些用户必须转而依赖其他类型的辅助控制设备（例如，啜饮开关）——这些设备通常极难使用，导致行动能力下降和生活质量大幅恶化。 拟议的研究项目将与 Simcoe Habilitation Services (SHS), Inc. 合作开发一种低成本的自主轮椅导航系统。 SHS 是一家为安大略省严重残疾人提供职业治疗服务的领先提供商。拟议的系统将使用廉价的商用现成传感器，例如 Microsoft Kinect 深度摄像头，并将通过单个命令在家庭和办公室环境中实现点对点导航。这将极大地提高大量轮椅使用者的行动能力：超过 65,000 名患有脊髓损伤、ALS 和 MS 的加拿大人可能会受益于这种类型的导航系统。