18 Design of an Intelligent Wheelchair for the Motor Disabled

Abstract

As rehabilitation technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence, and computer science have been rapidly developed, the dream of overcoming handicap comes true. This article presents a design of intelligent wheelchair system to be able to provide mobility aid to the disabled who has difficulties in driving a conventional powered wheelchair. First we conducted a survey for identifying the requirements of potential users, defining missions which users want to be served. After establishing the requirements through survey results, we present out hardware design including sensory system based on 2D Laser Range Finder (LRF), software architecture providing real-time capability for hard real-time tasks of safe-critical system, and hierarchical control architecture. Also we present an initial experimental result carried out at the Intelligent Sweet Home and at a corridor, both in KAIST.