A Safe Wheelchair with Driving Assistance (T02)

• Subject Area: Automation, Mechatronics, Control Systems, Intelligent Technical Systems, Robotics
• Term: from 2009 to 2010
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5485810

This project aims at increasing mobility and autonomy of users who are presently unable to safely operate an electrical wheelchair. The Driving Assistant compensates manual impairment, e.g. by avoiding obstacles and passing through doorways. The Qualitative Driving Assistant supports users who cannot continuously control the wheelchair but can give intermittent discrete commands. Both assistants can be used with the wheelchair’s joystick or—for paralyzed users—with a special head-joystick.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios (Transfer Project)
• Subproject of: TRR 8: Spatial Cognition - Reasoning, Action, Interaction
• Applicant Institution: Universität Bremen
• Participating Institution: Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligenz GmbH (DFKI); Stiftung Friedehorst ; Neurologisches Rehabilitationszentrum
• Business and Industry: Otto Bock HealthCare Deutschland GmbH
• Project Heads: Professor Dr.-Ing. Udo Frese; Professor Dr. Bernd Krieg-Brückner; Dr.-Ing. Thomas Röfer