Outdoor waypoint navigation for an intelligent wheelchair using differential GPS and INS

Because of the rapid growth of the elderly sector of Japanese society, the development of an automated wheelchair is increasingly necessary. In order to develop a wheelchair for elderly people, an intelligent system is necessary to assist in safe driving. This paper describes the development of an intelligent wheelchair which can autonomously assist in outdoor multiple-waypoint driving. In order to realize such functions, we employ differential GPS and INS sensors in conjunction with a laser rangefinder. To confirm the validity of proposed method, the system was tested in outdoor experiments.