The Present

One of the most commonly overlooked applications of robotics, and yet one with a great amount of potential, is the ability to help physically disabled people. An obvious aspect of this is using robots to assist the mobility-impaired. Even those with disabilities may someday walk wherever they like, aided by purpose-built robotic devices. Researchers are drawing upon the vast knowledge base of past experiences with assistive technology and robotics and have begun to add truly robotic powers to wheelchairs and other devices in order to expand their mobility. Research at MIT, the KISS institute and other universities and corporations is concentrating on allowing robotic chairs to make decisions for the user without the user intervening.

The Wheelesley developed at MIT by Holly A. Yanco and James Gips. http://www.ai.mit.edu/people/holly/wheelesley/

In the mid 90's Holly A. Yanco and James Gips of the famed MIT AI lab and Computer Science department developed a semi-autonomous wheelchair named Wheelesley[13]. The actual wheelchair was built by the KISS institute [6], the software and user interfaces were designed at MIT. The wheel chair was designed for those people who may not be able to use a standard joystick controlled motorized wheelchair. The system uses electrodes placed upon the users head to track the position of the users eyes. This system is called "Eagle Eyes" [14]. These electrodes are attached to a standard laptop computer and a camera. The user may then issue high level commands to the wheelchair such as "go forward" the wheelchair then performs low-level navigation for the user and avoids obstacles for the user. Wheelesley may be used either indoors or outdoors and the wheelchair can determine on its own if it is indoors or outdoors. The robot is under continuous development. The wheelchair still requires input and control from the user and cannot operate fully autonomously.

 

 

The Tin Man wheelchair maneuvers itself around objects around the house. It is good for blind people; the walking stick is now yesterdays technology and so is the regular manual wheelchair. The Tin Man helps people who do not have fine motor skills to maneuver themselves around. Also, people with impaired vision can benefit from this invention.

Tin Man image from the KISS Institute http://www.kipr.org

The Tin Man has a controller that can be attached to any other standard movable wheelchair. The controller is made by the KISS institute in Norman, Oklahoma[6]. The controller attaches to the motorized wheelchair giving it semi-autonomous capabilities allowing it limited sense of the outside world. The controller is also extremely inexpensive compared to a wheelchair designed from the ground up as a robotic chair. The controller is only a few hundred dollars [6]. However, the controller and chair are only semiautonomous in nature.

 

Although not an autonomous robotic device, the IBOT designed by Dean Kamen is designed to carry handicapped people over terrain that would completely defeat normal wheelchairs[7]. The incredible advances of today's IBOT can be used incorporated into robotic devices in the future. Using special sensors to help it balance, it can travel over sand and gravel, climb stairs, and even raise itself to reach the top of shelves[8]. To top it all off, the IBOT balances on only two wheels—a feat comparable to the first humans walking erect. This amazing machine takes giant steps towards allowing mobility-impaired people to move normally.