Traded and combined cooperative control of a smart wheelchair

Abstract

This article deals with a human–machine cooperative system for the control of a smart wheelchair for people with motor disabilities. The choice of a traded control mode is first argued. The paper then pursues two objectives. The first is to describe the design of the cooperative system by focusing on the dialogue and the interaction between the pilot and the robot. The second objective is to introduce a new cooperative mode. In this one, three features are proposed: two semi-autonomous features, a wall following and a doorway crossing, during which the user can intervene punctually to rectify a trajectory or a path, and an assisted mode where, conversely, the machine intervenes in a manual control to avoid obstacles. This mode of intervention of an entity, human or machine, supervising a movement controlled by the other is referred as “combined control.” Examples of scenarios exploiting the cooperative capabilities of the system are presented and discussed.

Design and Implementation on Multi-Function Smart Wheelchair

“…It is guaranteed that 437 million people will reach the plateau of aging in 2050, accounting for about 30% of the total population. As revealed by the National Health Organization Investigation, the incapacity and semi-disability of elderly people in China will be 44 million by the end of 2021 [1]. Especially for this special group, it poses a burden for individual families as well as a substantial stress on society to render care.…”

“…serve a single function and fail to meet the needs of users for a variety of different functions, making it rare to realize the requirements of users for independent mobility and selfcare [7].…”