Fuzzy power assist control system for omni-directional transport wheelchair

In this paper, a novel power assist system for the attendant of an omni-directional transport wheelchair is proposed. The input force of the attendant is measured using a force sensor attached to the handle of the wheelchair. The desired motion of the wheelchair is estimated from the output signal of the force sensor using fuzzy reasoning. Then, it is transmitted to four motors of the wheelchair to make it move toward the desired direction. The effectiveness of the proposed method is examined by simulations and experiments.