Increasing access with a low-cost robotic wheelchair

Many people who are mobility impaired are incapable, for a variety of reasons, of using an ordinary wheelchair. In some instances, a power wheelchair also cannot be used, usually because of the difficulty the person has in controlling it (often due to additional disabilities). This paper describes a low-cost robotic addition to a power wheelchair that assists the rider of the chair in avoiding obstacles, going to predesignated places, and manoeuvring through doorways and other narrow or crowded areas. This system can be interfaced to a variety of input devices, and can give the operator as much or as little moment by moment control of the chair as they wish