Autonomous Wheelchair Abigail Drury '10 Melissa Frechette '11 Rittika Shamsuddin '12 Professor Audrey Lee St. John Dr. Dan Barry Dr. William Kennedy
Project Created by MobileRobots and Dr. Dan Barry The research team methodically tested and developed comprehensive documentation Clinical trials with Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston
Motivations Enabling patients with cerebral palsy the option for independent mobility and privacy
Hardware Highlights Upper Sensor Lower Back Sensor Touch Screen Sensors: Three laser sensors One high, two low Sensors are used for localization and path planning User Interface: Currently uses a touch screen and keyboard/mouse as main I/O devices In future, it will also support other interfaces
Manual Drive Mode Smart Drive Mode Express Drive Mode Drive Modes
Manual Drive Mode Smart Drive Mode Express Drive Mode Drive Modes - Manual
Manual Drive Mode Smart Drive Mode Express Drive Mode Drive Modes - Smart
Manual Drive Mode Smart Drive Mode Express Drive Mode Drive Modes - Express
Express Drive Mode in Action
Goal Drive Mode and MobileEyes
Wheelchair Goal Path
Goal Drive Mode and MobileEyes Person
Selected Observations Difficulty starting too close to an obstacle Side padding can be a little scary for pedestrians Vertical blind spots: Objects shorter than 13 cm Objects only present between 13 cm and 1.7 m Inability to see black objects
When Express Drive Mode Goes Wrong
Conclusions and Future Work The wheelchair is in good shape, but it needs work to improve safety Continued exchange between the research group and Spaulding Further documentation needs to be developed
Thank You! A special thank you to Dr. Dan Barry, Dr. William Kennedy, and MobileRobots Questions?