LARN: Implementation of automatic navigation in indoor navigation for physically challenged

Mobility is one of the greatest challenges faced by elderly and physically challenged people. The immediate solution to their problem is powered wheelchairs with automatic navigation systems. However, effective low cost automatic navigation systems have not been developed and implemented. We propose a low cost navigation system which incorporates indoor automatic navigation system using LARN Algorithm, an implementation of Djikstra´s Algorithm. This navigation system consists of a conventional powered wheelchair controlled by joystick, along with a processing system which maps and monitors the location of the wheelchair inside the house. The wheelchair system makes use of the LARN algorithm to traverse from anywhere inside a house to predefined locations within it. The LARN Algorithm measures the distance traversed by the wheelchair from the rotation of the wheelchair and the orientation angle with the help of a digital compass that is incorporated into the system.