I-Corps: Affordable and Reliable Autonomous Wheelchair

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of technology to increase the mobility of existing power wheelchairs that are currently limited to usage over short travel distances and over short time periods. With an emphasis on the affordability of the autonomous wheelchair, end-users will enjoy the affordability benefits of the product. Autonomous wheelchairs will enhance safety and reduce injury due to inappropriate operation or unawareness of dangerous scenarios. Enhanced mobility can create a more equitable and inclusive environment for people in disadvantaged communities, enabling end-users to navigate independently in a crowd. This I-Corps project is based on the development of an autonomous driving wheelchair that may provide more efficient, affordable, reliable, and accessible transportation options for underserved and disadvantaged communities. The feasibility of developing affordable and reliable autonomous wheelchairs is demonstrated through an innovation for autonomous navigation. Based on initial research, the new navigation method can significantly reduce computation cost for computing collision-free navigation without sacrificing other performance attributes such as ride comfort. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.