Assistive Robotic Technologies for Next-Generation Smart Wheelchairs: Codesign and Modularity to Improve Users' Quality of Life

Fabio Morbidi (1) , Louise Devigne (2) , Catalin Stefan Teodorescu (3) , Bastien Fraudet (4) , Emilie Leblong (4, 2) , Tom Carlson (3) , Marie Babel (2) , Sarah Delmas (1) , Guillaume Caron (1, 5) , Francois Pasteau (2) , Guillaume Vailland (6, 2) , Valerie Gouranton (6, 7) , Sylvain Guegan (2) , Ronan Le Breton (2) , Nicolas Ragot (8)

1 MIS - Modélisation, Information et Systèmes - UR UPJV 4290
2 RAINBOW - Sensor-based and interactive robotics
3 UCL - University College of London [London]
4 Pôle Saint-Hélier - Médecine Physique et de Réadaptation [Rennes]
5 CNRS-AIST JRL - Joint Robotics Laboratory
6 Hybrid - 3D interaction with virtual environments using body and mind
7 INSA Rennes - Institut National des Sciences Appliquées - Rennes
8 IRSEEM - Institut de Recherche en Systèmes Electroniques Embarqués

This article describes the robotic assistive technologies developed for users of electrically powered wheelchairs, within the framework of the European Union’s Interreg ADAPT (Assistive Devices for Empowering Disabled People Through Robotic Technologies) project. In particular, special attention is devoted to the integration of advanced sensing modalities and the design of new shared control algorithms. In response to the clinical needs identified by our medical partners, two novel smart wheelchairs with complementary capabilities and a virtual reality (VR)-based wheelchair simulator have been developed. These systems have been validated via extensive experimental campaigns in France and the United Kingdom.

Mots clés: Wheelchairs; Robot sensing systems; Mobile robots; Wheels; Three-dimensional displays; Sensors; Automation

Domaines: Automatique / Robotique

Fabio Morbidi, Louise Devigne, Catalin Stefan Teodorescu, Bastien Fraudet, Emilie Leblong, et al.. Assistive Robotic Technologies for Next-Generation Smart Wheelchairs: Codesign and Modularity to Improve Users' Quality of Life. IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine, 2023, 30 (1), pp.24-35. ⟨10.1109/MRA.2022.3178965⟩. ⟨hal-03709574⟩