Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Indian researcher invents easy-to-control wheelchair
Pooja Viswanathan, a Ph.D. researcher in computer science at the University of British Columbia, has designed a 'smart' wheelchair that is expected to give disabled users more control over their movements.
The prototype, named Navigation and Obstacle Avoidance Help, or NOAH, is equipped with stereo-vision cameras and software that learns the patterns of behavior of a user.
"For navigation and for people suffering from cognitive impairments, audio prompts have been found to be more effective than visual cues," says Viswanathan in a UBC News article. "People with cognitive impairments often need extra time to process new information, so it's important that NOAH doesn't harangue them but rather offers suggestions at the right time."
These twin cameras, which act as 'human eyes,' and the software, can be attached to any ordinary powered wheelchair operating through a laptop under the seat.
To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
The prototype, named Navigation and Obstacle Avoidance Help, or NOAH, is equipped with stereo-vision cameras and software that learns the patterns of behavior of a user.
"For navigation and for people suffering from cognitive impairments, audio prompts have been found to be more effective than visual cues," says Viswanathan in a UBC News article. "People with cognitive impairments often need extra time to process new information, so it's important that NOAH doesn't harangue them but rather offers suggestions at the right time."
These twin cameras, which act as 'human eyes,' and the software, can be attached to any ordinary powered wheelchair operating through a laptop under the seat.
To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
Labels: Indian researcher invents easy-to-control wheelchair, Navigation and Obstacle Avoidance Help, Pooja Viswanathan, University of British Columbia, wheelchair
Friday, October 3, 2008
Developing wheelchair responding to verbal commands
Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers led by Assistant Professor Nicholas Roy, are developing an autonomous wheelchair that can respond to verbal commands and learn the locations in a building.
A wheelchair occupant just has to say "take me to the cafeteria" or "go to my room," and relax in the chair as it maneuvers from one place to another based on a map stored in its memory, the MIT news reported on September 19.
"It's a system that can learn and adapt to the user," said Nicholas Roy, assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics and co-developer of the wheelchair. Each chair could be personalized by the user, he said, based on what the per son wants to feed into the computerized chair.
Previous attempts to program wheelchairs and other mobile instruments have used intensive manual detailed mapping the chair being developed by Roy etal can learn about its environment almost like a human by being taken around on a guided tour and talking to it about the various landmarks.
To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
A wheelchair occupant just has to say "take me to the cafeteria" or "go to my room," and relax in the chair as it maneuvers from one place to another based on a map stored in its memory, the MIT news reported on September 19.
"It's a system that can learn and adapt to the user," said Nicholas Roy, assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics and co-developer of the wheelchair. Each chair could be personalized by the user, he said, based on what the per son wants to feed into the computerized chair.
Previous attempts to program wheelchairs and other mobile instruments have used intensive manual detailed mapping the chair being developed by Roy etal can learn about its environment almost like a human by being taken around on a guided tour and talking to it about the various landmarks.
To read the full article, click here..
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
Labels: Assistant Professor Nicholas Roy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, mobile instruments, program, researchers, respond, verbal commands, wheelchair
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