Assistive Robotic Technologies for Next-Generation Smart Wheelchairs
Fabio Morbidi, Louise Devigne, Catalin Stefan Teodorescu, Bastien Fraudet, Emilie Leblong, Tom Carlson, Marie Babel, Guillaume Caron, Sarah Delmas, François Pasteau, Guillaume VAILLAND, Valérie Gouranton, Sylvain Guegan, Ronan Le Breton, Nicolas Ragot
Abstract
This article describes the robotic assistive technologies developed for users of electrically-powered wheelchairs, within the framework of the European Union’s Interreg ADAPT project. In particular, special attention is devoted to the integration of advanced sensing modalities and to the design of new shared control algorithms. In response to the clinical needs identified by our medical partners, two novel smart wheelchairs with complementary capabilities, and a virtual reality-based wheelchair simulator, have been developed. These systems have been validated via extensive experimental campaigns in France and in the United Kingdom.