Ambient Assisted Route Planner based on XML files with accessibility information

This work introduces an Ambient Assisted Route Planner (A2RP) aimed for providing route planning in unknown indoor environments. System was first designed as an assistive mobility aid to be used by intelligent powered wheelchairs, although it can be suitable also for other autonomous mobile robotics systems, non-automated mobility device users or pedestrians. A2RP system is based on a set of XML description files that can be retrieved from the internet. These files contain all the information needed to access public or private buildings: floor maps, accessibility information, available routes and calibration landmarks. XML description files must be created, located and maintained in an internet server specially dedicated for this purpose. This paper presents description files structure and the associated software applications: a visual editor to build and maintain XML accessibility information files and a navigation setup program to be run on board of the intelligent wheelchair processor.