Article

The Drive-Safe System (DSS) is a collision-avoidance system for power wheelchairs
designed to support people with mobility impairments who also have visual,
upper-limb, or cognitive impairments. The DSS uses a distributed approach to
provide an add-on, shared-control, navigation-assistance solution. In this
project, the DSS was tested for engineering goals such as sensor coverage,
maximum safe speed, maximum detection distance, and power consumption while the
wheelchair was stationary or driven by an investigator.
Results indicate that the
DSS provided uniform, reliable sensor coverage around the wheelchair; detected
obstacles as small as 3.2 mm at distances of at least 1.6 m; and attained a
maximum safe speed of 4.2 km/h. The DSS can drive reliably as close as 15.2 cm
from a wall, traverse doorways as narrow as 81.3 cm without interrupting forward
movement, and reduce wheelchair battery life by only 3%. These results have
implications for a practical system to support safe, independent mobility for
veterans who acquire multiple disabilities during Active Duty or later in life.
These tests indicate that a system utilizing relatively low cost ultrasound,
infrared, and force sensors can effectively detect obstacles in the vicinity of a wheelchair.

Langue : ANGLAIS