A smart wheelchair (SW) is a power wheelchair (PW) to which computers, sensors, and assistive technology are attached. In the past decade, there has been little effort to provide a systematic review of SW research. This paper aims to provide a complete state-of-the-art overview of SW research trends. We expect that the information gathered in this study will enhance awareness of the status of contemporary PW as well as SW technology and increase the functional mobility of people who use PWs. We systematically present the international SW research effort, starting with an introduction to PWs and the communities they serve. Then, we discuss in detail the SW and associated technological innovations with an emphasis on the most researched areas, generating the most interest for future research and development. We conclude with our vision for the future of SW research and how to best serve people with all types of disabilities.

A Comprehensive Review of Smart Wheelchairs: Past, Present, and Future

In this paper, we examine the problem of extrinsic calibration of multiple LIDARs on a mobile vehicle platform. To achieve fully automated and on-line calibration, the original non-linear calibration model is reformulated as a second-order cone program (SOCP). This provides an advantage over more standard linearized approaches in that a priori information such as a default LIDAR calibration, calibration tolerances, etc., can be readily modeled. Furthermore, in contrast to general non-linear methods, the SOCP relaxation is convex, returns a global minimum, and can be solved very quickly using modern interior point methods (IPM). This enables the calibration to be estimated on-line for multiple LIDARs simultaneously. Experimental results are provided where the approach is used to successfully calibrate a pair of Sick LMS291-S14 LIDARs mounted on a mobile vehicle platform. These showed the SOCP formulation yielded a more accurate reconstruction and was 1–2 orders of magnitude faster than the traditional non-linear least-squares approach.

/pdf/on-line-calibration-of-multiple-lidars-on-a-mobile-vehicle-3ccia1emo1.pdf

On-line calibration of multiple LIDARs on a mobile vehicle platform

This paper is about design and acceptability of service robots that interact with individuals and coexist in environments inhabited by humans. In its current usage, we argue, the term acceptability is “user-specific” or “user-centred”, that is, it is based exclusively on the study of the relationships between a product and its users. In this paper, we argue that resistance towards service robots operating in public environments may also originate from properties which are not related to the user. For example, fear of the robot may generate resistance at the bystander level; lack of legal regulations for robots’ deployment may generate resistance at the legal level; concerns about possible job reductions caused by the robot may generate resistance at the worker level. Therefore, it is necessary to go beyond the “user-centred” notion of acceptability and widen its scope so as to include any kind of potential resistance and not just those originating from the users. By adopting a broader view of the possible critical factors affecting service robots’ acceptability, it will be possible to design robots that are good for users and acceptable to other people and society.

Design for Acceptability: Improving Robots’ Coexistence in Human Society

A smart wheelchair (SW) is a power wheelchair (PW) to which computers, sensors, and assistive technology are attached. In the past decade, there has been little effort to provide a systematic review of SW research. This paper aims to provide a complete state-of-the-art overview of SW research trends. We expect that the information gathered in this study will enhance awareness of the status of contemporary PW as well as SW technology, and increase the functional mobility of people who use PWs. We systematically present the international SW research effort, starting with an introduction to power wheelchairs and the communities they serve. Then we discuss in detail the SW and associated technological innovations with an emphasis on the most researched areas, generating the most interest for future research and development. We conclude with our vision for the future of SW research and how to best serve people with all types of disabilities.

A Comprehensive Review of Smart Wheelchairs: Past, Present and Future

During the last few years, the focus of computer science education (CSE) in primary and secondary schools (shortly K-12) have reached a significant turning point. This study reviews the published papers on the field of K-12 computing education in order to summarize the findings, guide future studies and give reflections for the major achievements in the area of CSE in K-12 schools. 47 peer-reviewed articles were collected from a systematic literature search and analyzed, based on a categorization of their main elements. Programming tools, educational context, and instructional methods are the main examined categories of this research. Results of this survey show the direction of CSE in schools research during the last years and summarized the benefits as well as the challenges. In particular, we analyzed the selected papers from the perspective of the various instructional methods aiming at introducing and enhancing learning, using several programming tools and educational context in K-12 CSE. Despite the challenges, the findings suggest that implementing computing lessons in K-12 education could be an enjoyable and effective learning experience. In addition, we suggest ways to facilitate deep learning and deal with various implications of the formal and informal education. Encouraging students to create their own projects or solve problems should be a significant part of the learning process.

Computing education in K-12 schools: A review of the literature

In this paper, we explore the use of synthesized landmark maps for absolute localization of a smart wheelchair system outdoors. In this paradigm, three-dimensional map data are acquired by an automobile equipped with high precision inertial/GPS systems, in conjunction with light detection and ranging (LIDAR) systems, whose range measurements are subsequently registered to a global coordinate frame. The resulting map data are then synthesized a priori to identify robust, salient features for use as landmarks in localization. By leveraging such maps with landmark meta-data, robots possessing far lower cost sensor suites gain many of the benefits obtained from the higher fidelity sensors, but without the cost.We show that by using such a map-based localization approach, a smart wheelchair system outfitted only with a 2-D LIDAR and encoders was able to maintain accurate, global pose estimates outdoors over almost 1 km paths.

Towards Autonomous Wheelchair Systems in Urban Environments

In this paper, we demonstrate reliable navigation of a smart wheelchair system (SWS) in an urban environment. Urban environments present unique challenges for service robots. They require localization accuracy at the sidewalk level, but compromise GPS position estimates through significant multi-path effects. However, they are also rich in landmarks that can be leveraged by feature-based localization approaches. To this end, our SWS employed a map-based localization approach. A map of the environment was acquired using a server vehicle, synthesized a priori, and made accessible to the SWS. The map embedded not only the locations of landmarks, but also semantic data delineating 7 different landmark classes to facilitate robust data association. Landmark segmentation and tracking by the SWS was then accomplished using both 2D and 3D LIDAR systems. The resulting localization method has demonstrated decimeter level positioning accuracy in a global coordinate frame. The localization package was integrated into a ROS framework with a sample based motion planner and control loop running at 5 Hz to enable autonomous navigation. For validation, the SWS repeatedly navigated autonomously between Lehigh University’s Packard Laboratory and the University bookstore, a distance of approximately 1.0 km roundtrip.

To the Bookstore! Autonomous Wheelchair Navigation in an Urban Environment

Students at a young age acquire many negative stereotypes regarding computer programming and computer science in general. These stereotypes discourage students, especially young women and minorities, from pursuing an education in computer science. Using an innovative curriculum focused on Adobe Flash™ we try to dispel these stereotypes and encourage students to pursue a computer science education. Adobe Flash provides a platform to demonstrate that computer science can be a fun and interesting topic that provides many unique and engaging challenges. This allows us to bring these students back into the pipeline of potential computer scientists.

Michael Sands

Papers

Towards Autonomous Wheelchair Systems in Urban Environments

To the Bookstore! Autonomous Wheelchair Navigation in an Urban Environment

Widening the K-12 pipeline at a critical juncture with Flash™